This time of year it seems like everyone is getting sick. Colds and flu are prevalent and very contagious. Just as an example, the office that I work in has had a large majority of the workers ill. Some do the right thing and stay home, but others feel they have to come to work, so they in turn expose everyone who is healthy to their dirty germs.

So if this happens to you, how do you stay healthy? How do you keep the dirty little germs away from you, so you don’t take it home to share with your family? And if you do end up getting sick, how do you ensure that it will not be a long lasting illness?

There are many things you can do to keep yourself healthy, and keep the germs away. First things first, you have to boost your own immune system. How can you do this? It is a process, and will not happen overnight, but if you can keep your immune system functioning at its highest level, your body will be better prepared to fight off invading organisms, whether it is viral, or bacterial.

According to the Harvard Medical School these are:

* Eat a healthy diet with a balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Try to stay away from processed foods, and watch out for sugar hidden in the food that you eat.* Exercise regularly, meaning at least 30 minutes of intentional exercise every day.* Try to maintain your weight at a healthy level.* Drink only in moderation, and don’t smoke.* Get enough sleep.

Wash your hands thoroughly, and try not to touch your face. Do this all the time so it becomes habit. Because of you only practice this when you think you are around sick people, it is too late. In many instances, people are contagious when they show no symptoms. So by making it a habit to wash your hands, and refrain from touching your face on a regular basis, you will help to keep yourself healthy.

So now you know the basics of keeping your immune system fully charged, what can you do to prevent yourself from succumbing to the illness that occur around you on a seemingly daily basis? There are several things you can do at home and work to keep yourself healthy, and hopefully not come into contact, or at least lessen the likelihood of getting sick.

While you are at Work

Wipe down your workstation. You never know who was using your stuff when you were away, so have wipes stored at your desk that you can wipe down everything before you get to work. It may seem daunting, but isn’t a few minutes of cleaning worth it to stay healthy?

Keep hand sanitizer at your desk. This is important for those quick in between moments when you remember to wash or sanitize your hands. Since I work in a doctor’s office, this is easy for me. I have a Costco size bottle of hand sanitizer at my desk for everyone to use, and I put it out as a visual reminder for everyone to sanitize your hands when you are standing at my desk.

Don’t share utensils, food, or anything else with your coworkers. This may gross some people out, but I have seen where co-workers share a soda, drink, snack, or even eating utensils. Please don’t! Personally, I think this is disgusting, because I can picture all of the bugs crawling around on someone’s hands because they didn’t wash their hands after stopping at the bathroom. (eeeeewwwww!) But trust me, it happens. So this means I don’t share my snacks that are in bags, like chips, popcorn, etc. And I definitely don’t let people use my coffe...