5 Habits to Stay Healthy including proper nutrition, sleep, and washing your hands.

Hello cold and flu season! I hope you and your family are staying healthy. For us so far, it has been a better year than the last few. Maybe my 3 school-aged kids are finally building up some immunity and not bringing every single illness home? I'm not sure but I'll take it. We still have had a couple of colds through the year and of course, plenty of snot. Today, I'm sharing 5 habits to help avoid getting sick that we use to try to stay healthy during the cold and flu season.

**Keep reading for a handwashing gift basket giveaway!

5 Habits to Stay Healthy

Wash your hands

Washing your hands is one of the most helpful ways to avoid getting sick. We get so many germs on our hands and then touch our faces, eat food, etc. putting those nasty germs into our bodies. You should wash your hands every time you use the bathroom, before cooking, after being around someone who is sick, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you need help keeping track of time, you can hum the "happy birthday" song twice. If you cannot wash your hands with soap and water for whatever reason, you can use hand sanitizer. Look for one with at least 60% alcohol. 

I learned so much about people's handwashing habits from the Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Company. This is an annual survey of just over 1,000 Americans about their handwashing habits, using public bathrooms and their concerns about seasonal viruses.

2024 Healthy Handwashing Survey Results

• 74% of people wash their hands more often or more thoroughly in response to seasonal virus outbreaks.
• 54% of people wash their hands more often when they're sick.
• 77% of people wash their hands on a road trip.
• 89% of people wash their hands after using a public bathroom.
• 95% of people believe that washing their hands is important for health.

Eat a nutritious diet

Focusing on a nutrient-rich diet can help you stay healthy. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein, whole-grain carbohydrates, lots of fruits and vegetables and plenty of water for hydration are key ingredients. You should aim for 4-7 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Nutrition for optimal health is not about eating any one food. It is about balance and filling your body with nutrient-rich foods to fuel you and to help you feel your best.

Some nutrients that can help your immune system are: beta-carotene (carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes), vitamin C (citrus, peppers, strawberries), vitamin D (egg yolks and fortified milk), zinc (meat) and probiotics (a supplement or yogurt). 

Get plenty of sleep

I sound like a broken record with this tip when it comes to telling my kids how to stay healthy but really, sleep is so important for feeling your best. I swear, whenever I am having a bad week of sleep (which is not uncommon for me), that is when I tend to get sick. According to the Mayo Clinic, lack of sleep affects your immune system. If you are not getting enough sleep, you are more likely to become sick after getting exposed to a virus and if you do get sick, may not recover as fast if you are not getting enough rest. Seven to 8 hours of sleep per night are recommended for adults and more for children and teens.

Keep a distance from those who are sick

Sometimes, this tip is easier said than done. If you are around kids often, more than likely, you're around a good amount of germs. If you see that someone is coughing, blowing their nose, or is talking about how sick they just were, it can be helpful to keep some distance to avoid getting sick yourself. Of course you won't be able to dodge all sicknesses but hopefully some! I tell my kids this all the time. If your friend is sick, don't touch them!

Take your supplements

We skip vitamins pretty much all summer but in the winter months, we try to take our vitamins as often as we remember to. My entire family takes a multivitamin, omega-3 and probiotics regularly. When I know we were around someone who was sick or if any of my family starts to show signs of sickness, we start taking elderberry supplement which is high in antioxidants and can help boost your immune system. The most important thing is getting plenty of nutrients through food but I know that at times, we fall short and taking our supplements helps ensure we are getting the nutrients that we need.

**Visit Bradley Corp. for more information on handwashing and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.

Giveaway

The giveaway will be for this handwashing gift basket to 2 winners.

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This post is sponsored by Bradley Company.