Protect Yourself From the Flu, Tricks to Not Catching a Cold

What germs are lurking on elevator buttons?

This year's flu and cold season is at an all time high. So we need to exercise, eat healthy and be cautious.
USA Today reported this morning: The flu season, which peaks in January and February, is off to a roaring start with a bug that looks "particularly severe," according to the Food and Drug Administration. Outbreaks have hit 31 states.

Since commiting myself to exercising regularly, I haven't been sick and haven't had a cold since December 2010. And, I used to catch a cold like clockwork every winter. Exercising boosts your immune system. I'm also cautious in public areas and around those who are sick.

I tend to touch my face a lot so I try to minimize what else I touch so germs don't enter my body through my eyes, nose or mouth.

My little tricks are:

• Don't touch the germy elevator buttons, door handles or rails, ughh. Use your knuckles to tap the buttons or use the end of a shirt so you don't have to come in contact with the button at all.
• Use the end of your sweater or shirt to grab a hold of the door handles.
• If you're not wearing long sleeves, then grab a paper towel on your way out of the bathroom to use on the handle.
• Also, use a towel on the sink handles in the bathroom.
• In the winter time, wear your gloves and this could eliminate touching door knobs and buttons. 
• I also take shots of lemon juice from time to time. This is a good shot of Vitamin C to help boost your immune system.
• To improve your immune system from infections, I recommend taking Echinacea pills. More on that here.

If you must touch a railing or handle, make sure to wash your hands right after or use some hand sanitizer before you touch your face, coffee mug or keyboard - therefore the germs won't spread and lurk around waiting for you.

Germs just don't lurk on places we expect like handles and rails but also in the least expecting places - in the work office: the refrigerator door handle, that coffee pot everyone touches, the sink knobs, the milk handle in the fridge, etc.

It's hard to avoid things like this unless you wear gloves 24/7 but you don't want to look silly. Your best bet is to keep hand sanitizer at your desk and use it before you touch anything else.

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Below are additional tips for flu and cold season via www.newsdemocratleader.com:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, or cough into your sleeve.

Give each member of the household their own hand towel. Use different colors to help family members identify their own.

Use child-friendly soap to encourage kids to wash their hands frequently and teach them to lather up their hands in the soap while singing the Happy Birthday song three times.

Keep a safe distance from person who is sneezing and coughing.

Regularly clean common surfaces such as countertops, telephones and chairs.

If you are ill with the flu, stay home to avoid infecting others.