Living Healthy in the Flu Season

Flu Prevention and Healthy Living Tips for Body, Mind, and Soul

Nov 9, 2009
Muxin Li

Good Hygiene is Good Flu Prevention - K.M. Henri

Swine flu and the flu season have increased flu infection and mortality this year. Learn how to stay healthy and happy with healthy living habits for body and soul.

The flu season has arrived, and this year the swine flu pandemic has increased the overall flu mortality rates and flu infections. It is important to stay healthy in the cold weather, and practicing some simple flu prevention steps and healthy living habits can reduce the chances of infection and improve your health.

Flu Prevention in the Flu Season

One of the best ways to prevent the flu is to practice good hygiene. The CDC recommends that people wash their hands regularly with soap and cover their coughs and sneezes. This will eliminate the chances of being infected or spreading flu infection. Although face masks have been popping up everywhere, there are no conclusions that face masks are more effective in controlling the spread of the flu.

You may be provided with a face mask if you have been confirmed to have the flu. Otherwise, there is no requirement to wear one. Wearing a face mask does not eliminate the possibility of infection, either to you or to someone else. So far, simply covering your coughs or sneezes with your arm or with a handkerchief seems to have the same benefits as a face mask.

Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated for the seasonal flu and for the swine flu. Keep in mind that being vaccinated for one flu strain does not mean you are vaccinated for the other. Discuss with your doctor any allergies you may have, especially if you are allergic to eggs. However, vaccines do not cure viruses, they only build up your body’s immunity to them. Take good care of yourself and let your body do the rest.

Healthy Living for Life

Flu prevention shouldn’t be the only concern during the current swine flu pandemic and during the flu season. Staying healthy involves making healthy choices everyday, and essentially practicing a lifestyle of habits. The American Heart Association suggests a diet consisting of different food groups, high in vegetables and fruits, and low in low nutrition foods.

Consistent and daily exercise is also important for healthy living, and the benefits of exercise include reducing risks for heart disease, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis, and more. The recommended exercise activity is 30 minutes of moderately intense activity for five days a week. To help get your daily exercise intake, take the stairs instead of the elevator and use a shopping basket instead of pushing a shopping cart. Bicycle, run, or walk instead of driving short distances.

Managing stress is also important to healthy living, but because people are worried about the swine flu pandemic and the flu season, stress is difficult to ignore. However, the effects of chronic stress include health detriments, such as heart disease, depression, sleep loss, a weakened immune system, and many others. Exercise can reduce stress and improve mood, and exercising with friends can be both a fun and healthy activity that improves your body, mind, and soul.

Living Healthy and Happy During the Swine Flu Pandemic

Swine flu death tolls are being reported each day, and the current total global count as of November 9th is over 6,000. Yet the CDC report for 2005 shows that over 1,700 people died of heart disease each day. That meant for every four days in 2005, more heart disease deaths occurred in the US than the six months total of swine flu deaths around the world.

While it is easy to get caught up in the swine flu pandemic fear, we shouldn’t let ourselves become paralyzed with fear of the illness. Of course, we ought to do whatever we can to take care of our bodies and our health by staying informed and making healthy decisions. However, worrying in fear will only cause more stress-related health problems and waste the time we could be spending enjoying our lives.

Do take care of your body, and do stay informed on how to prevent the flu and spreading diseases. Don’t let the flu season or H1N1 decide how you live your life, though. Continue doing the things you love and spend time with the people you care about. Do the things that you would regret not doing in the end, and let yourself be happy.

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