Well, it’s that time again – time for colds, the flu, and all kinds of other germy things floating around to make us sick. By this time, we should all know basic things to help prevent us from feeling down right crummy, but reminders can help. So, here are some of the top tips on staying healthy this season.

1. WASH YOUR HANDS (watch the video – it says it all) – soap and water is best but if not available, hand sanitizers are better than nothin’
2. USE ARM SNEEZING TECHNIQUE – sneeze into your arm or tissue, not your hands (unless you are going to immediately scrub them without touching anything!)
3. COMMIT ACTS OF HEALTHFULNESS – eat healthy (foods rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants), exercise (unless you feel sick, then you should probably rest), limit alcohol, drink
some green tea
4. GET ENOUGH SHUT-EYE – your body needs this to restore itself
5. AVOID SICK PEOPLE – OK, some of these might be your friends and family but at least make sure they are practicing safe germ warfare and clean areas around you. By all means,
if you are sick, they say you should STAY HOME (don’t take that as license for a day off though).

Pass these tips around……………..it’s OK if they are contagious!

In Good Health,

Christine

Do you have any other tips for staying healthy this winter?

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What NOT To Do With Your Medications

I recently moved – halfway across the country I might add, and like many people, I ABSOLUTELY dislike moving (I would say hate, but that’s not very nice). I thought that I had been holding up relatively well – handling all of the thousands of major and minor details involved, until moving day came.

I was in a panic, as most people get that day, and if it weren’t for some of my family members, I would not have made it with at least some portion of my sanity. My sister, brother, and my mom all came to help me on that dreaded day… to which I cannot thank them enough.

While I was in my stress mode in other parts of the house, I apparently neglected giving my mother enough to do. You see, she loves and needs to stay busy so she decided to clean out my medicine drawers. She meticulously checked the dates of all of the meds that had been collecting over quite a few years, set aside all of the out dated ones, tore the labels off of any outdated prescription bottles, and set them all in one area to be disposed of at some point.

When I found this out, I about had a cow – in my mind, I knew just how everything was in there.

One of my biggest aggravations and worries moving, was about how to get rid of things – the right way……things like gasoline, oil, any yard products, cleaning products, old electronics, wood, etc. So after working so hard at trying to get rid of this stuff, the medication thing really sent me over the edge, giving me just ONE MORE thing to do.

I explained to her that I buy bigger bottles of things like ibuprofen and then use it to refill smaller bottles that are easier to travel with or keep in strategic areas. She kindly said “you shouldn’t do that” because you won’t’ know when they have truly expired. I thought to myself – “hooey to that” – I want those smaller bottles.

After thinking about it and apologizing to my mom (at least 5 times), I realized that she was right (but of course she was, she IS a mother!). I am not big on taking medications in general, but over the years, I have recognized their usefulness in appropriate circumstances. I realized that I did have a good bit of “stuff” that I never used, some dating back to 2004!

Bless her heart, she took all of those old meds home with her to dispose of them the RIGHT WAY for me.

So, in case you’re wondering, here is a short video on how to get rid of them properly. It’s good for the environment, our health, and it will make my mom happy.

Many communities have places you can take them – check them out where you live or you can do it yourself by watching the video below:

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