The cold and dark months are finally over: no more running noses, sore throats and sick days. Everyone is preparing for summer and eagerly watching the daylight hours increase.

Finally we can indulge in a few months of warmth and pleasure and worry less about catching the flu.

These are precisely the months where we can make a difference. By keeping fit and readjusting our eating habits we can build up our immune system and resistance and reduce our chances of getting seriously ill from the flu^(1,4).

Whether you have decided to walk the St. James's Trail, or simply walk your dog every morning, regular walking and moderate sports like swimming, hiking and biking help lower all-cause and cardiorespiratory mortality secondary to influenza. This helps you have a clear advantage over people who don't do much exercise and spend most of their lives behind a desk or watching TV⁽¹⁾.

After all, our body is our home and serves us 24 hours a day, so it is our job to maintain and nurture it, regardless of our age or the state of our health.

It is also proven that both overweight and underweight increase health risks associated with influenza⁽³⁾. A healthy lifestyle helps you strengthen your immune system and avoid colds, leading to a lower risk of getting Influenza.

Ultimately, prevention remains the best medicine.

Enjoy the summer.

Has the flu affected you in the last few years? And if so, how? Share your stories with us.

References:

(1) http://www.hkmj.org/abstracts/v20n6s6/16.htm 
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23219760 
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20166451
(4) http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/seasonal-influenza-risk-assessment-2015-2016.pdf