Ways to Avoid Sickness: Motivation for Monday Fitness

From colds to stomach viruses, Bob and Caroline Scott of the Louisville Athletic Club shared some ways to prevent sickness.

"This is the time of year we tend to catch things such as colds and viruses a little easier.  So it's important to try to prevent that from happening.  The holiday season can bring a little more stress into our lives and our immune systems will naturally weaken when we are under more stress. Another reason is that we are spending more time indoors in close contact with others and their germs.  So many times when one person in the house gets sick it gets passed around and before you know it the whole family is sick.  Bob's going to share some simple tips that can help prevent all those nasty germs from spreading around more than they have to." - Caroline Scott

"Obviously, avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.  If you have kids, this is almost impossible; but if you are in contact with someone who is sick make sure you are washing your hands a lot.  This is the single best thing you can do to prevent spreading an illness.  Avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose.  If you have touched something that is contaminated and then rub your eyes.. chances are you are going to get sick.  If you are sick, stay home...you need rest to get better.  Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you are coughing or sneezing.  Also, it's important to get plenty of rest, exercise, and nutritious foods.  Finally just pray and walk in the faith that God is healing you." Bob Scott

For more great health and fitness tips, visit Caroline's Blog

Related Blog Posts:
Here's some more tips on cold prevention from a previous blog post, Renewal.  Click here to view it in it's entirety.


Renewed Wellness: Here are a couple of key things to make sure you keep yourself and your family well all winter long.  Keep in mind germs from coughing with uncovered mouths travel 6 to 8 feet!

• Eat Bright Colors: Eat the brightest and most colorful fruits and veggies.  They are packed with the most vitamins and nutrients that boost your immune system.  Add as much color and variety to your meals as you can.
• Sleep Deep: Research suggests that only about a third of Americans get the seven to nine hours of shut-eye required to help keep their immune systems operating at full throttle.  Those who averaged fewer than seven hours a night were three times more likely to catch a cold than those who clocked eight or more regularly. We produce the hormone melatonin during nighttime sleep, which prompts a key type of immune cells to destroy infected ones. Over time, less sleep leads to  a sub par immune system.
• Eliminate Stress: Our immune systems are highly sensitive to stress. A study in Health Psychology suggests that chronic stress, or intense pressure lasting a month or longer, can make you more than two times as likely to get sick when you’re exposed to a cold virus compared with someone who isn’t over-stressed.
• Scrub and Sanitize: Common knowledge, but the CDC says that in order to kill germs, you’ve got to be thorough. Lather up and scrub every crevice, including between your fingers and under your nails. Take your time, at least 20 seconds before you rinse and dry.  Wash your hands, door knobs, phones, counters, and anything else that could be contaminated by cold germs. 
• Travel Wisely: Confined space, lots of people, and dry air.  Cold viruses thrive in this environment.  According to a study from the University of Nottingham in England, those who took public transportation were six times more likely to suffer from respiratory infections than those who didn't.
• Turn off the Heat: Finishing a warm shower with a blast of chilly water may create a reflex action that supports immunity by stimulating lymphatic circulation.     Article Referenced