Tricks to avoid sickness …

It is that time of year. Weather turns colder, more time spent inside and school is in full swing. You start to hear rumblings of viruses and bugs spreading through classrooms and offices. No one wants to get sick or has time for that. And if you have multiple children, you know what happens when one gets sick. Just block out the rest of the month because its about to spread like wildfire. Here are a few thing we have found work to help keep those germs at bay. Try these tricks to avoid sickness and stay healthy.

Change your clothes…

This is a big one in our house. School clothes don’t get worn all over the house. Same goes for work clothes. Think of all of the places those pants have been. What have they sat on? How many times was a nose wiped on that sleeve? The flu virus lives 8 to 12 hours on clothing. So that kid who coughed all day next to your kid, you can thank him for the germs that are now traveling home with your child and into your home. If you are drowning in laundry (like I am), there is no reason the kids (or you) can’t have “comfy clothes” as we call them, that they wear just in the house. Ideally, you put these on after you bathe. And on days we don’t have practices and aren’t going back out again, kids will often shower after school or after playing outside and be in their comfy clothes for the rest of the night.

Wash your Hands often…

Washing your hands often is beyond obvious. We know this as adults. But in my experience, kids think its annoying and don’t want to be bothered with it. However, I’ve trained my kids to wash their hands every time we come into the house. They now know that when they get home from school, being at the store or walk in from practice, after they take off their shoes they go right to the sink and wash their hands. With kids it is just about routine and expectations. Set the expectation and stick to it and they’ll do it. Remember, it takes about 20 seconds of vigorous washing to remove germs.

I’ve also taken the time to explain to them what could be lurking on their hands. Little ones are literal and take things at face value. Telling them to wash their hands because of germs on them may be abstract. Explain how you can’t see germs, how they are microscopic, how they get into your body and make you sick, etc… I have had this talk dozens of time in regards to bathroom etiquette, being responsible at school, not picking noses. Do they do it when I’m not around? I certainly hope so. But at home they’ve realized that I’ll chase them down and make them do it anyway and its easier to just do it and be done with it and avoid the scene. Plus, if you’ve ever spent any time with a group of little kids or in an elementary classroom, you know perfectly well all of the places hands end up and things that get tracked on them. No thank you.

Take off your shoes…

If you don’t already take them off in the house, start now! This is the easiest way to begin to detox your home and prevent even more germs from getting tracked on floors and into your system. All of those germs that are on bathroom floors, doctors office carpets, and school hallways do not need to be introduced into your home to be breathed in. Learn more here .

Clean up your food…

According to Dr. Sears and many studies, eating sugar suppresses your immune system significantly. One study showed after consuming sugary foods, your white blood cells ability to attack bacteria is compromised for up to 5 hours. If you are eating sugar multiple times daily, your white blood cells are never able to fully do their job. Therefore, if someone seems a little under the weather, try to limit sugary processed foods for a few days and give their immune system a fighting chance. Stick to whole, real foods. Soup, vegetables, high quality protein and a lot of liquids are good options.

Get some rest…

This seems so basic but it is so important. When we are run down and not properly rested our bodies don’t work at full potential. If someone feels a sniffle coming on, I do my best to try to get them a little extra rest. That is not always easy with kids. However, I have found that having a conversation with them about why they need extra rest usually works. No one likes to get sick. Once the kids are a little older, they know what getting sick means and how awful it is. So a gentle reminder about wanting to avoid that (and avoid missing whatever fun things are coming up) usually works. Reminding that it is just extra rest for one day and not a new bed time forever tends to seal the deal. And for older kids and adults, just take it easy. We are always in such a hurry, rushing around, every minute of our day scheduled. Sometimes it makes sense to just clear some time and lay down or just relax and let your body do its thing fighting germs. I’ve found by doing that I can often avoid a full blown sickness.

Fresh Air…

 Inside air is often 5x more polluted than outdoor air. And this includes germs and viruses. When possible, get outside and get some fresh air. Even better if you can run around a sweat a little to naturally detox. When inside crack a window or two. When anyone in the house is sick, I always leave their window cracked at night to let fresh air flow. Another idea is to light a candle (non-toxic of course) or sage the house. The burning creates negative ions in the air which can bind to pollutants in the air, like viruses and bacteria, thus removing them from circulating.

Detox Bath…

Something we have always done is take a detox bath of Epsom Salts when feeling a little bug coming on. A warm bath with about a cup of pure Epsom salts is said to detox the body and aid in immune function, among many other things. Magnesium naturally occurs in the body as our fourth most abundant mineral. It is generally safe for most people, just take caution to not let little ones drink any water with Epsom in it. While a small amount won’t cause reason for alarm, it can have a laxative effect.

While none of these ideas are sure fire ways to ward off sickness, I have found that many of them together have some success for us. In addition, we try to eat well, avoid processed food, drink a lot of quality filtered water, and stay active. What tricks work for you to keep everyone healthy?

***This is not to be taken as medical advice. If you are sick and need a doctor, go to the doctor. This is one opinion on ways to keep your family healthy.