10 smart ways to avoid catching the flu

Doctors are witnessing an unusually high outbreak of viral illnesses this year. To make matters worse, viral fevers, which are otherwise short lived, are taking longer to subside.

With everyone around you coughing, sneezing or carrying a fever, what can you do to avoid succumbing to this viral mayhem? Here are some tips:

Wash your hands
Do it a lot during this season, regardless of the line of work you are in. If you come in contact with anything that has been touched by an infected person, you are at risk. So wash your hands as much as you can, even after touching surfaces that appear clean. Furthermore, scrub your hands not less than 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based sanitizer throughout the day.

Homemade chicken or vegetable soup
Using over-the-counter decongestants every time you feel a sniffle isn't all that good. In fact, these OTC medicines should be used sparingly. Instead opt for homemade chicken soups that are natural decongestants. The chicken stock, vegetables in the soup are believed to have a medicinal effect on your immune system, working on the inflammation.

Breathe in well circulated spaces
Indoor air can be five times more polluted than outdoor air so make sure you are breathing in well ventilated spaces. Try opening windows when you are indoors. Even houseplants such as aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are great to help clean air by filtering out some common volatile organic compounds.

Clean your surroundings well
The pantry, door knob, switches, your chair to the edges of your side table, they all could be breeding germs. So try cleaning all common areas that you can't avoid touching. Also, did you know you could use tea tree oil to disinfect spaces?

Sleep well
If your body is not well rested, it will be weak to fight infections. There have been researches that have proven if our bodies don't get ample sleep, it fails to stimulate our immune response, which helps fight virus. It is indeed the most trusted defense against infection.

Sip green tea or black tea
Not only do properties of tea keep you away from infections, the steam that you inhale while sipping these teas helps clear your nasal tract. Add lemon and honey to your teas for better results.

Zinc it up
A lot of us trust Vitamin C when it comes to preventing viruses but an equally trusted partner can be zinc. Zinc is found in nuts, beans, pumpkin seeds and even spinach. They have immunity boosting properties and acts as protective shield against flu.
PS: Remember to wash your spinach thoroughly. Soak it in warm water and vinegar for best results.

Exercise regularly
There has been some link found out between immunity and exercise and that is why experts recommend working out regularly to keep infections at bay.

Avoid outside food
With almost everyone down with viral illnesses, eating food from outside will put you at an increased risk of catching the viral.

Clean your mobile phone: You remove germs from your hands by washing or sanitizing them but what about your cellphone that's often placed at random counters or after shaking hands with patients or while pushing your office elevator's buttons? Wipe clean your phone with sanitizing wipes regularly to cut down from germs getting to your mouth.