Avoiding The Dreaded Winter Cold

Whether you're a winter-lover or hater, we can all agree on disliking the coughs and colds that often come with the season! The colder weather wears down our body's natural defences and leaves us lacking in Vitamin D, leaving us more susceptible to catching a spreading cold, especially when we're spending more time inside than we would in summer - taking shelter in crammed coffee shops or ending up squashed against a coughing commuter on the tube. Unfortunately, part of catching a nasty bug is just bad luck, however here are a few ways you can try and avoid the dreaded colds flying around this winter…

 

Good Hygiene!

Simply put, colds are picked up by the virus getting from one person to the next, so regularly washing your hands with an anti-bacterial soap is probably the best prevention method going. It might be a good idea to start giving your hands a quick squirt of hand gel after touching the handrails on the tube! 

 

Sleep

Don’t you find that when life gets manic (when you REALLY don’t want to get sick) is always when you catch a bug? Letting yourself get run down is the quickest way to wind up sick. Your body works hard to restore itself during sleep, so the best chance it has of being in tip-top condition is to get enough beauty sleep…

 

Avoid Sick People

Again, it might sound obvious, but if your colleague or friend is sick, it’s best to give them a wide berth for the day and keep contact to a minimum! Often we think that we're letting people down by cancelling plans or taking the day off work, but really they'll likely be pleased that you're keeping your illness to yourself! 

  

Eat Well

Although winter might have you craving all the comfort food, make sure you're getting in plenty of antioxidant rich foods with all the vitamins and minerals you need. Food might not be save you completely, but keeping yourself well-nourished is great for reducing your cold's intensity and duration if it hits. Make sure your food is giving you enough iron, zinc and Vitamin C and try boosting your meals with antibiotic and anti-viral ingriedents such as garlic and ginger too. 

 

Supplement

Struggling to get all the nutrients you need? With the lack of sunlight meaning we can struggle to get enough vitamin D - which helps to power the immune system - and our busy lifestyles making it hard to be bang on our diets all of the time, taking an Advanced Multi Vitamin could be just what you need. They're an easy and convenient way to boost your overall wellbeing and make sure your body is getting exactly what it needs every day.