Being sick during the holidays is tough, especially when you have lots of shopping, wrapping and party planning to do. Yet this happens to be the time of year when many people get sick. And to make it worse, you’re often in close quarters with more people than usual, making it easier than ever for germs to spread. If you’re hoping to avoid being sick during the holidays, here’s a few simple tips to keep in mind.
- Keep Your Hands Clean
With everything you have to do during the holiday season, it can be easy to forget to wash your hands frequently. But this simple task is one major way to keep from getting sick, so make sure you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time.
- Get Enough Sleep
Being busy is not conducive to getting enough rest, but this step is important. When you’re sleep deprived, it’s harder for your body to fight off illness. This is why you should aim for seven or eight hours of sleep per night.
- Get Your Flu Shot
You don’t want the flu during the holidays. Fortunately, you can greatly reduce your chance of getting it by getting the flu shot. Make sure you stay up-to-date with all other vaccinations too.
- Try to Eat Healthy Foods
When your goal is to stay healthy, eating right is a step in the right direction. Instead of filling up on junk food — which is easy to do during the holidays — stick to healthier snacks, such as celery and carrots. Nuts are also healthy snacks, with walnuts, pecans, pistachios and almonds being the best kinds to eat.
- Keep Your Health in Mind When Baking
Delicious, sugary baked goods are always around during the holidays, but you don’t have to skip out on eating them entirely to stay healthy. If you’re baking from scratch consider swapping out a few unhealthy ingredients for better options. For example, use applesauce instead of vegetable oil and whole-wheat flour instead of white flour. In addition, a healthier alternative to sugar is honey. Keeping these baking alternatives in mind can help you stay healthy and avoid the typical holiday weight gain.
- Stay Active
With everything you have to do to prepare for the holidays, you might be tempted to skip your workouts. But this can wreak havoc on your body, so you should try to stay active as much as possible. Consider taking a family walk every night after dinner to look at the lights and decorations around your neighborhood.
If you do start to experience symptoms of a cold, the flu or sustain a minor injury, don’t worry, stop by the nearest Physician Urgent Care in Brentwood, TN or Franklin, TN. Our staff is available seven days a week to give you the care you need when you need it most with no long waits or appointments necessary.