Here we are the second week of the new year, and first full week back at work and school. Everyone is working diligently on their resolutions, goals and objectives they’ve set. And alas, hello flu and cold season! It seems like everywhere you go the conversation is either about someone who is currently fighting a cold, just got over a cold or feeling like they are coming down with a cold.
We returned from our holiday break and jumped back into our daily routines and began to wonder if there might be some regret in going to the places we frequented. Walking into a room and hearing someone exclaim “I swear I’m no longer sick, I just can’t seem to shake this cough”! Or hearing the person next to us sneeze and say “I don’t know why I keep sneezing today”. Or after using exercise equipment, the owner of the studio stating “I cleaned and Lysoled everything especially after that tween class left and all the mothers started to tell me about their kids’ illnesses”.
UGH! No one likes to be sick. But let’s face it, unless we decide to jump into a bubble and stay there until after spring has sprung, the likelihood of catching a cold has a high probability especially this time of year. So how can we lessen our chances of being the next stuffed up, nasal sounding, congested and coughing, run down, achy, just want to stay in bed all day victim of the flu bug?
Now don’t get us wrong, we are by no means medical doctors here at Mt. Esty. However, we would like to share some tips that we swear by that have helped us avoid flu and cold season all together in years past. We are not promising that you will see the same results we have; although, we do hope you have some success and stay healthy this year.
Flu shot.
This is up for debate here in our home and across the web. There are obvious benefits and risks to getting the vaccine. This is one where we feel that it would be best to speak with your physician and weigh the pros and cons prior to getting the shot. In our home, C gets one every year and D does not. We cannot say with certainty there is a right or wrong answer because there are years where one of us gets sick and one does not and in the end it has nothing to do with who got the flu shot and who didn’t. So speak with your doctor and make your own decision on what would be best for you and your family.
Washing hands.
Of course we all wash our hands after we use the bathroom or get dirty doing chores around the house. However, whenever we return home during the winter the first thing we do is wash our hands. This is to prevent spreading any germs we may have come in contact with while we were out. Also, not touching our face (eyes, nose and mouth especially) until after we wash our hands. Those pesky antibodies seem to be able to live on surfaces forever! Needless to say we would like them to live on surfaces outside of our home.
Fresh air.
They say that most colds are picked up inside and getting fresh air may help reduce your risk of getting sick. Fresh air may also help speed up your recovery if you already have a cold. Our first suggestion is to try to brave the colder temps and get out for a little walk (and not just from you car to the office, store, gym, etc…) and take in all that glorious fresh air! Another tip that we try during flu and cold season is to crack our upstairs bathroom windows for a few hours a couple of days a week to get some fresh air into our home (it helps if you pick warmer more mild days to do this). Yes this is a double edged sword and some people may think we are crazy. On the one hand we are getting fresh air into the house, and on the other we are making our home less efficient for heating costs. However, we agree that is a sacrifice we are willing to make if it helps keep our home healthy during the winter.
Cleanliness.
By no means are we suggesting that any of you live in filth and don’t clean your homes! We just mean that during the winter months we need to clean areas that we may not pay as much attention to during our weekly upkeep. Door knobs, light switches, television remotes, cabinet drawer pulls, soap dispensers, etc… Think of any surface that you and/or your guests touch regularly and clean them more often. Additionally, guest towels in our powder room get changed much more frequently during flu and cold season.
Lysol.
This is in no way a product advertisement. Yet Lysol IS used in our home during this time of the year more frequently. A couple of weeks before Christmas, C hosted a ladies lunch for some girlfriends. One of the ladies showed up sick not wanting to cancel because she knew the effort that was placed into putting on a lovely luncheon. As much as her thought was appreciated; we would not have been upset had she cancelled. After everyone left, cleaning overdrive took place. All surfaces, faucets, chair backs, door knobs and the powder room were scrubbed clean. Both the kitchen and powder room towels went into the laundry along with all the linens from the table. Windows were cracked open. And the trusty can of Lysol came out and was sprayed throughout the house. In the end we did not catch her cold. (Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about another friend who rode in the car with her.)
Like we mentioned, we are not medically licensed and do not consider ourselves medical professionals. We are simply sharing some tips that have helped us in seasons past. And in all honesty, these tips are no guarantee that the flu bug will pass us (or you) by. There are years were we have followed our own advise and still have been stuck in bed feeling miserable. All we can do is try. Try to stay healthy and keep our home healthy too. So let’s raise a glass of orange juice and cheers to not getting sick!
Stay healthy friends!
D & C
Mt. Esty Manor 