Fighting the sickness.

It never failed, every winter my family would get slammed with the flu. We would be down and out for a couple weeks, at least. My husband is a huge help, so battling the entire family being sick at once, was all about working together. When it came time for my husband to deploy, we just happened to be entering flu season. After being hit particularly hard the prior year, I was even more concerned about going through this alone. That was the moment that I decided the only way to get through this flu season was to simply, not get sick.

Now, making it through without getting the flu is a marathon in itself, having children in school makes it that much tougher, with germs flying freely.  So I figured the only way to beat it, was to get our bodies healthy enough that our immune systems were strong enough to just ward it off all together.

The first step is making sure that you have a plan that involves the entire family. I strongly believe in getting your children healthy at a young age, and without another adult around it gives you an extra support to keep going. And although we pushed for fruits and veggies in their diets anyways, I needed to really get them going with all of the needs to make an even stronger and healthier immune system. 

The next thing I did was go grocery shopping .Which was not easy, since I assumed at this time that everyone had the flu, so touching the carts, and money was making me nervous. I know, anal.

The easiest way to go about healthy grocery shopping is to stay on the outer part of the grocery store as much as possible. Start with your fruits and veggies; do not get too carried away as you do not want them to spoil before you can use them. So plan on getting enough to just last a week.  I make sure and get enough that the kids have vegetables at lunch and dinner.  Do not feel as if I am saying to not enter the isles at all, but try to keep it minimal, and attempt to get foods made from whole wheat. Make sure and incorporate lots of healthy proteins into the diet also, chicken breast and peanuts are a great go –to.

A key to getting your body good and healthy is the all dreaded, exercise. Unfortunately I do not have a personal gym, past my treadmill. And although there are gyms to use for free here on Post, that still did not solve my childcare issue. I am not about to pay someone money so I that I can go to the gym, when I am more than capable of doing it at home, with no equipment. Let’s not forget that children need exercise also, especially in the winter. I really got into P90x, and allowed the kids to join in as much as they wanted. I understand that P90x is not for everyone, although I think you should try it for a week before you make any decisions. I also found Wii fit to be a great workout! And again, the kids really enjoyed joining in on this one. One thing that really excited the kids, was encourage them to make up their own routines. So we would have ‘gym’ class in the living room. It is no surprise that kids have more energy then adults, so you would understandably get a great workout, just trying to keep up.

We stayed on top of eating right, and exercising, along with taking our vitamins every day. We also allowed ourselves “cheat days”, as I think everyone should do. So we did not feel deprived. It is now August, almost a year from when my husband left, and we have not been sick once. I will stick by this natural, safe technique to get through this year’s flu season again, and just to stay healthy and fit. So do not be afraid to just get up and get moving in the privacy of your own home. A half an hour a day is all you need, just get up and get your heart rate up. You will feel great, look great, and keep fighting the sickness!