One of the best ways to prevent cold and flu is to get vaccinated each year so that you do not fall prey to the seasonal flu. However, maintaining healthy habits can also help you stay immune to cold and flu germs. The following healthy habits can be used to protect yourself from cold and flu germs:

• Avoid close contact:  Do not get too close to people who are sick.

You might not get ill each time, especially if you have a healthy immune system, but you can very easily be a carrier and give that flu to someone else. Avoiding close contact can help prevent the spread of germs that cause cold, flu, and other respiratory diseases.

Stay at home if you fall ill:  In case you do fall ill, it’s best to stay at home. This is to avoid spreading the infection to other people around you and also to avoid exhaustion. Remember that your body needs rest to recover.

Cover your mouth and nose:  If someone around you is ill, you need to keep your nose and mouth covered so that even if they do not sneeze in your face, the germs that might be in the air that you breathe do not infect you.

Clean your hands:  Always wash your hands before you eat your meals to avoid cold and flu germs from entering your meals and immune system. If you are not satisfied even after washing your hands, used an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to get rid of the germs.

Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth:  One of the easiest ways of spreading germs is touching anything with your infected hand. If you are down with cold or flu, it is best not to touch your nose and mouth. Also, make sure you wash your hands before touching commonly shared objects.

Practicing healthy habits is a great way to keep cold and flu infections at bay. Try to get a sufficient amount of sleep at night so that you do not go exhaust yourself. Give yourself sufficient time to heal. Drink a lot of fluids to stay hydrated and eat as much healthy food as you can.