Six steps to help keep family healthy this winter

PROVO — Winter can be a cozy time with holiday fun and snowy outdoor activities. It can also bring miserable colds and coughs if preventative steps aren’t taken. Dr. Michael Rhodes, director of the Merrill Gappmayer Family Medicine Center, offers these six easy steps to help keep you and your family happy and healthy through the winter months:

1.    Get a flu shot: This is an important way to keep yourself and those around you healthy. Some people can recover from the flu on their own. For others, the illness can be life-threatening. Vaccines are the safest and most effective way to prevent illnesses. Make sure your family has their shots before it gets too cold.
2.    Wash your hands frequently: Hand-washing is one of the simplest yet more effective ways to stop the spread of illnesses Killing germs before they spread will keep your family safe from unwanted colds. Use warm water, scrub your hands, and remember lots of soap. Recite the “ABCs” in your head to make sure you’re scrubbing long enough.
3.    Plan ahead for exercise: Warm and cozy couches can be tempting to snuggle into when the weather outside is frightful. But don’t stay trapped inside and forget about fitness. Find a winter activity that the whole family can participate in for more fun and better health. Dress warm and make it a fun family time.
4.    Stock up on healthy, in-season fruits and veggies: Don’t discriminate against winter fruits just because your favorite summer choices are out of season. Eating healthy is an important way to boost energy and combat germs. Plan healthy dinners and snacks that the whole family can enjoy.
5.    Check your furnaces before the cold sets in: Make sure that all of the annual safety checks needed on your furnace have been done before it gets too cold and the blankets just won’t do. Cleaner air can help your family stay healthy.
6.    Catch some ZZZs: Plenty of sleep helps our bodies fight off infection. Remember, children need between nine and 11 hours of sleep each night, and adults need seven or eight hours a night. Plan family time and bedtime to allow for as much sleep as possible.