Easy Ways to Protect Yourself during Cold and Flu Season

Frequent hand washing is your number one defense against the flu. You generally catch the flu one of two ways – by breathing in the same air as someone who is already sick or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face. So, wash your hands often: after using the restroom, before you eat, when you get home, and at work after handling things that everyone in the office also touches, like the copy machine.

Give sick people a wide berth. If you come within three feet of someone with the flu, you breathe in the air that they are breathing out and that means you're taking in their flu germs. If you notice people are sick, politely decline to get too close to them.

Stay warm. Being cold can't cause the flu, but if you've been exposed to the flu virus, letting your body get cold may drop your defenses enough for the virus to gain a foothold, causing you to get sick

Run a humidifier indoors. Dry winter air can irritate your airways and impair your body's natural defenses against viruses like the flu. Meanwhile, higher humidity actually reduces the number of germs in the air. So adding moisture into the air in your home can help in multiple ways.

Exercise can help protect you. Getting regular exercise gives your immune system a boost. But don't exercise for hours on end – that can stress your body and actually compromise your immune system. If you're already feeling symptoms from a cold or flu virus, go ahead and exercise if all you have is a stuffy or runny nose, headache, or sore throat. If the symptoms extend below your neck – coughing, achy joints, or a fever – rest is your best medicine.

Use your common sense. Eat well, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, and find healthy ways to counter stress. Do these four things and you'll keep your immune system functioning at its peak, which means even if you get exposed to the flu, you may never develop symptoms... your body will sweep it away before you feel any ill effects.

Take your vitamin D. During the winter months, your body is not as able to convert sunlight to vitamin D – the sun's rays are just too weak. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in your immune system, so if you're running low on this critical nutrient, you're running the risk of getting sick. Take at least 400 IU of vitamin D3 every day during the winter. An excellent source is Wellgenix D3 Genix.