Here it comes – coughing, sneezing, wiping sick hands on the subway poles. Here are some tips for fighting those germs and staying healthy!

Prevention

Maintain Proper Nutrition: 
Eating enough fruits & veggies (5-7 servings/day) provides a wide array of antioxidants to reverse free radical damage to immune cells. Also make sure to eat enough lean protein, including low fat dairy, lean turkey & chicken and plant-based protein such as beans for immune system maintenance.

Frequently Wash Hands:
Always wash your hands after riding the subway and before contact between your hands and face including eating, drinking and blowing your nose.

Exercise to Reduce Stress:
Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity to ward off sickness and stress. Meditation, yoga and breathing exercises can also help reduce stress that can lead to illness.

Get 7+ Hours of Sleep:
Aim to be in bed for longer than 7 hours to account for restlessness and waking up in the middle of the night.

Sick Prevention at Work:
Hold meetings in large rooms with ventilation, or leave the door open in smaller conference rooms. Keep space when working with sick people, or those who sneeze or cough openly. If you share a workstation with others, clean it with antibacterial wipes frequently. 

Vitamins & Minerals

Zinc:
Oral administration through supplements of zinc may reduce the length and severity of common cold.

Vitamin C:
For majority of people taking vitamin C supplements on a regular basis only slightly reduces the length and severity of colds and does not reduce the number of colds caught. Vitamin C deficiencies are rare. If you eat a healthy diet, excess vitamin C will be eliminated from the body.

Herbal Remedies:
While research is limited, some find that Echinacea & ginger help shorten the length of the common cold & influenza.