This year, it’s more important than ever that you keep your family fit and healthy through the winter. Unfortunately, it’s also harder than usual. As well as all of the usual winter coughs, colds and bugs, we’ve got a global pandemic to avoid, but many of your regular leisure activities, like swimming pools, that keep you and the rest of the family fit, are at least temporarily closed.
It’s typical to get up to four or five colds a year. When the kids are little, it can feel as though snotty noses are a permanent fixture throughout the winter months, and as soon as one thing has passed, someone else is starting to sniffle.
While these colds are usually completely normal and nothing to worry about, they aren’t pleasant. They make even the simplest tasks more difficult, and while your immune system is fighting off a cold, you are more likely to pick up something else.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do to keep your family fit and healthy this, and every other, winter. Here’s a look at some of them.
Keep Warm
Keeping warm is one of the best ways to stay healthy and comfortable in the winter. When we’re cold, our immune response is lowered, and it becomes easier for illnesses to invade. Being cold also affects our mood, making us less likely to exercise, and spend time doing things that we enjoy.
Keeping your home warm in the wintertime can be tough, and you may worry about the costs associated with having the heating on more than usual, especially this winter when for many, budgets are tighter.
Making sure your home is efficient, and not wasting money and heat, is crucial. If your boiler is old, or often breaks down, it might be worth investing in a new boiler. Compare boilers, learn about installation costs and financing, and find the right boiler for your home using Boiler Central. You can buy a boiler online in minutes while ensuring you get the best deal, and the right boiler for your needs, without any hidden costs or add-ons down the line. Consider consulting experts like these for your boiler installation to make sure it’s installed correctly.
You should also check window and door seals, and bleed your radiators to make sure you are getting the most of any heat that you do generate. Other simple ways to keep your home warm include moving furniture away from radiators, closing the curtains as soon as it gets dark, using draught excluders and keeping internal doors closed.
When you do brave the great outdoors, make sure everyone is wrapped up warm with coats, waterproof boots, hats, scarves and gloves and enjoy a warming hot drink when you get home.
Maintain Good Hygiene
Helping our children develop good habits when it comes to hygiene isn’t always easy. But, the constant reminders to throw tissues away and to wash hands regularly with hand soap are definitely worth it. Good hygiene, including handwashing, and covering our mouths when we sneeze, is one of the best ways to stop the spread of disease and protect ourselves.
Set good examples yourself, issue regular reminders, and make sure you are washing towels and bedding regularly, and wiping surfaces and touchpoints.
Eat Healthily
One of the best things that you can do for your immune system this winter is to eat the right things. Fill your diet with immune-boosting foods like citrus fruits, almonds, yoghurt, and green veg, and consider taking a multivitamin for extra support. Try to snack on fruit, and make sure you are eating large portions of vegetables to give your immune system the extra support that it needs. If your kids are fussy eaters, find some creative ways to include extra veg.
Get Outdoors
You might not feel like getting outdoors as much when the weather is bad, but spending time outside can help you to get more exercise, boost your circulation and mood and help you to feel better, both physically and mentally. Take the kids to the park with a ball, go on winter scavenger hunts and try to have some fun exploring together.
Get Plenty of Rest
Sleep is your body’s chance to rest and recover. Even when you are busy, get early nights, and make sure you get plenty of extra sleep and rest if you do start to feel unwell.
If you struggle to sleep, which many of us do as we approach the holidays and our to-do lists start to grow, try simple tips like exercising more, going to bed at a regular time, and avoiding caffeine in the evenings.
Unfortunately, there’s only so much that we can do to keep ourselves safe from illness. Try as you might, at some point, someone is bound to get a cold. But, you can limit the chances, and even decrease the severity of any illnesses you do contract with these simple steps.
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