How To Avoid Getting Sick This Upcoming Cold And Flu Season

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For a lot of us, it happens almost every year. The leaves change, you’re rocking a new pair of boots, and then suddenly you feel it: a tickle in your throat. You know exactly what’s coming next.

Getting a cold when the weather changes can feel like inevitable. When it cools down, it’s a lot easier to get sick. But that doesn’t mean that you have to fight the sniffles this season. Focus on avoiding all of the germs that you can out there by following these tips. You will increase your chances of avoiding a cold (and use those sick days you saved up for something a lot more fun).

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Take Vitamin D3

African-American women are more likely to be low on vitamin D than most, and it’s very important during cold and flu season.

This vitamin can cut your risk of catching a cold by half, and help you fight off a bug if you do catch it. Stock up on tablets and don’t miss a day of taking them.

Get Serious About Hand-Washing

Wash your hands more frequently than usual, and as soon as you get home. Keep the soap lathering for at least 20 seconds — that’s how long it takes to kill most germs.

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Pack Hand Sanitizer in Your Purse

Use hand sanitizer after you’ve been touching doorknobs, shaking hands or hanging out with anyone who looks like they might have the sniffles.

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Make It a Point to Keep Your Hands off of Your Face

Stop rubbing your eyes and putting your hands near your mouth. It’s how you pass the germs from your hands into your system how you get sick. But it’s hard. Start keeping it in mind now and you will have it down by the time we really get into cold and flu season.

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Eat Yogurt

Try yogurt with probiotics. Studies show that they help boost your immune system to better fight colds and even the flu.

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Open the Window

It’s a bit chilly outside, but sitting in stale air actually makes it more likely that you will catch a cold. Cracking a window from time to time to let fresh air in and viruses out will keep you healthier (especially if you have a guest who is battling a cold).

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Distance Yourself by at Least 10 Feet

That’s how far you should be away from a sick person when they are sneezing or coughing if you don’t want to be exposed to what they have. It’s 15 feet if things are really bad.

If they look offended, just remind them that not everyone can afford to get sick right now.

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Hit the Snooze Button

Getting eight, or at least seven hours a night is the best way to keep your immune system working its best.

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Try Meditation

It sounds unrelated, but studies have shown that people who have meditated used 76 percent fewer sick days than those who didn’t.

Get Vaccinated

Getting a flu vaccine before cold and flu season can lower your risk of catching it, bringing your chances down to around zero percent.

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Wear Your Scarf over Your Nose When You’re Outside

When your nose is cold, it has a harder time fighting off any viruses you breathe in — that struggle doubles if you walk to work through a large crowd.

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Wash All of Your Fruits and Vegetables

A vinegar rinse will kill any germs that might be left behind by other shoppers who are under the weather.

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Work It Out

Need a great reason to get a gym membership this fall? Exercise can cut your chances of catching a cold by around 30 percent.