7 Surprising Ways to Stay Healthy During Flu Season

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This post is sponsored by Kmart. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting Project Motherhood.

Two words that moms hate to hear most as the chilly weather approaches is “flu season” and it’s unfortunately upon us. We’re smack dab in the middle of the time of year when not only the flu, but coughs and colds almost become the norm. It’s the worst. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but through lots and lots of trial and error over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about not only being prepared for everyone to get sick (and it almost always happens all at one time), but for trying to prevent it, too.

1. Load up on cold and flu supplies.

As silly as it sounds, don’t wait until the last minute to run out and grab your cold and flu supplies when someone starts to feel achy. Have your medicine, cough drops, tissues and lots of orange juice on hand throughout the whole season – you’ll never know when, but it will come in handy.

2. Lose the booze.

I know, we all love that glass of wine in the evening, but flu season is even more reason to start cutting back. Here’s why: alcohol interferes with our sleep quality and when we’re not sleeping well, we’re more inclined to get sick quicker. This is especially important if you travel a lot.

3. Get your flu shot.

Yup, your whole family! And it’s easier now than ever because your local Kmart is a one- stop shop for all the items above, plus they’re offering $0 flu shots (no cost with most insurance plans), as well as school immunizations for you and your loved ones. Just imagine not having to make an appointment with your doctor – dreams do come true.

Simply visit (like we did!) and your whole family can receive these free shots (or $27.99 cash price of the Trivalent flu shot) without any appointment necessary. Kmart really is the one-stop, convenient health destination to help knock out the flu – before it knocks out you.

4. Keep lots of tea handy.

Tea is magical. It’s seriously this sweet elixir that seems to cure everything. As soon as I start to feel the slightest bit of chill in the air, we make sure to have our favorite brews stocked up in the house. I know that it’s not doctor backed, but whenever I start to feel a cold coming on and I start alternating between hot tea and other vitamin packed fluids, I feel so much better.

5. Be extra careful at the gym….

Gyms carry a lot of germs all over the place. If you do a lot of working out, make sure to be extra conscious of sanitizing the equipment that you use or placing towels down where you’re working out. I promise that you don’t want any unnecessary germs crawling onto you during class.

6. …but also make sure to hit the gym.

Don’t use germs as an excuse to skip a workout either. Last week for instance, I was starting to feel those achy feelings overcome me and I pushed through my regular workouts and runs and not only did I feel so much better in the moment, but my cold like symptoms stopped completely. Working out truly does your entire body good.

7. Know when to trust your body and take a break.

At the same time, know when it’s important to trust that you really do feel too sick to move forward with work, meetings or a workout and give your body time to rest. Some extra rest will work wonders to combat anything that might be making your body feel under the weather.