It’s that time of the year again! Signs are starting to pop up around every corner telling you to get your flu shot. Flu season usually lasts from October to late April, but prime flu season starts in December. Not everyone takes a family trip to the doctor’s office to get flu shots, so staying healthy during flu season isn’t always easy.
6 Tips for Staying Healthy During Flu Season
- Wash your hands! If you don’t do anything else this flu season, at least wash your hands. You’d be surprised at just how dirty almost all surfaces are around you, especially at schools. Flu viruses spread by droplets when people sneeze or blow or wipe their noses and then touch other surfaces or people. Be sure to teach your kids to constantly wash their hands, especially after sneezing.
- Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated helps your body in many different ways. Increasing how much water you drink lessens your chance of getting the flu. Try drinking hot water every now and then to help loosen mucus and keep your throat moist. If warm water isn’t your child’s thing, room-temperature or cold water still helps prevent dehydration caused by fever.
- Get lots of rest. Lack of sleep causes many different illnesses. Not getting a good night’s sleep can inhibit the immune system. During flu season, you want your immune system to be strong and healthy to help protect against any viruses thrown your way. Make sure your child gets a full night’s sleep, even on weekends!
- Eat healthy foods. With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, eating healthy can be quite a challenge. Intaking a lot of sugar can actually weaken the immune system. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy holiday meals, just be sure to include some leafy greens in there too.
- Vitamins C & E. Foods containing vitamins C and E are said to be helpful in keeping the immune system strong. Vitamin C comes from foods like broccoli, green peppers, and orange juice. Vitamin E might be a bit trickier to add to your child’s meals. Things like sunflower seeds, almonds, and peanuts contain vitamin E, but so do green leafy vegetables.
- Stay active! Children should be getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day to stay healthy. Unfortunately, flu season falls during the colder months and getting outside to run around can be tricky. Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves on how to keep your little monkey active during the winter! Head on over to Monkey Joe’s and let them jump it out! (And don’t worry, we keep our inflatables nice and clean. Our inflatables are regularly treated with Enviro-Master, which is an EPA registered hospital disinfectant electrostatic treatment.)
We want all of our friends at Monkey Joe’s to stay healthy this flu season. A healthy kid means a healthy jumper! Go bananas at a Monkey Joe’s near you.
