5 ways to stay healthy this season.

Winter is well and truly on its way.   

The leaves are starting to fall, the sun is gone by 5:30pm (miss you already, daylight savings), the evenings have become a little breezier and that morning dash to the bathroom feels pretty crisp. 

Although summer is definitely my favourite season, there are things I do truly love about winter. 

Cosy knits, ugg boots, crisp sunny mornings, roasting in front of the fire, toasty coffee dates, flannelette sheets and (my personal favourite) that cosy hug from your dressing gown at the end of each day. 

Admittedly, there are some not so great things that come with the season too. 

Dry skin, chapped lips, runny noses, sitting next to others sneezing and coughing on the bus commute, and finishing work in the dark. But the worst thing of course is getting a cold or flu (icky). 

If you’re anything like me, you may be bracing yourself for the inevitable flu that seems to come around every year no matter what. 

However, there are actually some easy, proactive steps we can all take to dramatically lessen our chance of getting sick this season or even prevent it altogether.

(It is not my predetermined fate to get the flu every winter, I repeat it is not my predetermined fate). 

Here are 5 ways you can stay on top of your health heading into the cooler months:

1. Be proactive and get the flu shot

Peak flu season is fast approaching (generally June to September). Yikes.

Although the COVID-19 vaccination roll out has taken centre stage in many people’s health priorities, it's also important we don’t forget about the usual annual health threats that can come at this time of year, such as influenza. 

A flu vaccination can help protect you against common strains of the flu. In fact, the Australian Government recommends everyone over the age of 6 months old get an annual flu vaccination to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. 

So do yourself a favour and book yourself and your family in for a flu vaccination. Simply visit the TerryWhite Chemmart website and you can book in a suitable time and date, or even just walk in for a visit at your local store. 

A trained pharmacist can then administer your flu vaccination and you’ll be good to go. 

While we're mentioning it, if you're planning on receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, it's recommended that an interval of at least 14 days is needed between the flu vaccination and a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Noted.

(If you’re one of the lucky ones that gets a free flu shot from your employer, you can cash this in at TerryWhite Chemmart when you book through their corporate flu program. Hint hint: Tell your boss there’s a way to win brownie points AND help keep the office safe this flu season).

Ensuring you get a flu shot this year is a no-brainer. You'll protect yourself and your loved ones. 

Simple.

2. Keep those fluids up 

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with this one. 

As we all know, water is an essential part of a healthy diet because, well, pretty much all our bodily functions rely on it. 

Often in summer we are consuming enough water without even noticing as we feel physically hot and break out a sweat much more easily. In the colder months we can sometimes be a little more slack and forget to drink water as much. 

It's important to stay hydrated and keep up your water intake all year round. Government health guidelines say we should try and aim for 8 to 10 cups of water a day (around 2 to 2 and a half litres). Woah, I'm already behind.

If you struggle with being forgetful or too busy to drink water try setting an alarm on the hour reminding you to take a few sips (you’ll thank me later).

Also don’t forget that tea counts, so go on make yourself another brew.

3. Stay active 

This one can often be the hardest to keep up when winter comes along. But you would have guessed it: making sure we stay active during this season is really important. 

Studies have shown that the more physically fit and active you are, the less likely you are to suffer colds in the winter months.

To stay healthy, experts suggest that you should be doing a minimum of two and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise, or one and a half hours of high-intensity exercise, per week – but we should all be aiming to do at least double that. 

Now no one is suggesting that you need to be working out 5 days a week and entering full sweat mode every single time (but if that is you, you go girl!). It's just important to note that during the colder months we’re more likely to skip the gym or stay inside (guilty). 

Maybe you’ve been putting off joining that indoor netball team for years. Anything from a brisk walk or even YouTube yoga in your pyjamas is better than nothing. It's more about making sure you keep moving, creating a routine and trying to stick to it. Grab your mates, sign yourself up and stay accountable.

Your physical and mental health will be all the better for it. 

4. Stock up on those immune-boosting foods

Maintaining a healthy balanced diet is always something we should strive for. 

However, during the cooler months of the year there are particular vitamins and minerals we can increase in our diets to help boost our immune system.

Move over mangoes and watermelons, it's kiwifruit, mandarins and oranges’ time to shine. 

Try adding more citrus into your fruit bowl to boost those vitamin C levels. Add an extra serving of vegetables to your lunch and dinner (think leafy greens such as spinach to boost your iron). Up your zinc intake by eating more nuts and seeds where you can, and chuck some ginger in your morning juice. 

Increasing our intake of vitamin C, zinc and iron where possible during the cooler months is a great natural way to help fight off those nasty winter cold and flu symptoms. 

5. Practice good hygiene (you know the drill)

You’re probably all across this one now that we are living with COVID-19, but it’s important we keep reminding ourselves especially heading into winter. 

Wash your hands regularly! If you’re not sure how long you should be washing your hands just follow this simple guide (you’re welcome). 

Wash for Julia pic.twitter.com/hCEsKVMbd3

— Hunter Smith (@MrHunterSmith) March 6, 2020

Aside from Julia's iconic speech, and in all seriousness: please do wash your hands properly and pop a bottle of sanitiser in your bag (the 24 Daily Instant Hand Sanitiser would do the trick) to use when you're on the move.

If you need to cough and sneeze (I mean we're all human) do it into a tissue or your elbow, throw your snotty tissues in the bin straight away and if you're sick or sniffly, try and stay home to get well first.

All these tips might seem obvious but when everything is a bit colder, darker and all you want to do is hibernate, sometimes we can let them slip. 

By incorporating these small habits into your life and being a bit more proactive, you’ll be well on your way to staying healthier and happier this winter season.

Feature Image: Supplied.