COLDS, COLDS, GO AWAY
By Je, Call for Health Team
If you're experiencing some itchiness in your throat, a clogged nose, or a growing headache, then you just might have the common cold. It's not a pleasant or a welcome experience at all because you can miss a lot of important things going on for you, most especially in the office. You may have experienced a delay in your work because you were not really feeling well, and you can't just dismiss your work then and there to take care of yourself. Needless to say, you have to protect yourself from getting sick so that you will always be productive at work.
Here are some tips to keep the common cold away:
- Check your office workstation. Are you near the air-conditioning unit? Is your head and back directly exposed to cold air or continuously changing temperature? If yes, adjust yourself every time you are there so that you would not be directly exposed to it. When you're desk-bound, you move only a little, and you don't get to expend a lot of energy to keep your body warm and combat the cold air. Your body's tendency would be absorb the cold air, which eventually leads to the common cold.
- Wear a jacket or any other thick clothing. If your office workstation cannot be moved or adjusted, then bring in or wear something that will keep you warm. A thick jacket would be nice, or better yet, when you buy clothes, make sure you have some thick ones too and not just the stylish ones.
- Have a warm drink. Most offices would have vendo machines, hot water pot or thermos where you can prepare yourself a warm drink. Remember that it's about maintaining a balanced body temperature, so a warm drink is not just for the thirsty or the sleepy (in the case of coffee that many people drink because of the caffeine that keeps them awake), it's also for keeping a well-regulated body temperature. Make sure that it's just warm and not hot, to avoid burns and spoiled taste of your drink.
- Drink lots of liquids. When you're already sick, your throat tends to dry up and lose water in your body because it compensates for the lack of energy caused by your colds. Make sure you drink lots of liquids, water or juice would be fine.
- Exercise. Before you even get sick, you need to have a regular routine of physical movement or better known as exercise. Just like a new car taken out from the garage for the first time, there is need for a "break in" as they call it. Every driver knows that this procedure will warm up the car and make it ready for the daily use it was built for. Exercise will do you good as it will prepare your body for the daily activities that you need to accomplish. It will make you strong and resistant to sickness.
- Drink vitamins. Top of mind would be Vitamic C, but it would be useful to have complete vitamins to combat not just the common cold but other sickness as well. Think of it like putting on an armor everyday, that even if you go out to different places and you don't know what the environment can do to you, you would be confident that you are protected.
- Take Good Amounts of Rest. No matter how hectic your schedule may be, it would be wise to allot a certain time for good rest. How long should one rest depends on the capability of the person to acquire good rest. There are some people who can rest for 4 - 6 hours only and yet feel energized and alert, while some really require at least 8 hours of rest per day in order for them to be productive. Check yourself once in awhile and see what works for you. If you experience some dizziness and lethargy, then that could be a sign that you still need to get back to bed and snooze your way back to regain energy.
All these work best when done together, and not just focusing on one particular activity. Remember, your health is your responsibility. You have only one body, and all it takes to keep it health is establishing a regular routine of taking care of yourself. The next time you would feel you would catch a cold, you know better to keep it away until the next rainy day…or never!
HEALTH IS WEALTH
By Je, Call for Health Team
- Take Care Of Yourself When You're Healthy
Now it may sound odd that you need to take care when you're not sick because our habit is that we start drinking our medicines and allot some time for rest whenever there are obvious signs of sickness. However, doing a certain "Care" routine before getting sick is the best protection that you can give yourself, so that you lessen the chances of you catching the dreaded cold.
Think about it. When you're healthy, you can do 2-3 x more caring for yourself than when you are sick. You can move around by yourself, without requiring a lot of help from other people. You can decide for yourself what food or medicines or exercise regimen you will take to keep yourself strong. You can plan how you are going to spend your day and not rely on somebody else to schedule it for you. When you are already sick, you have to depend on someone else to bring you your medicine, and at some point, even rely on them to feed you, or clean you, or whatever it takes to make you feel better, because you're not physically capable to move around to do what you want and get what you need. It's like being glued to the bed and forcing yourself to stay in it when you know that the world continues to move around you even when you're sick. In short, you have all the freedom in the world to do whatever you want when you are well, compared to when you are sick…and how you make use of that freedom is up to you
. - See Your Doctor Once In A While
It's not true that doctors are just there for the sick. They're also there for the healthy people. Why? Healthy people need maintenance, and doctors help them do just that. It doesn't mean that when you are healthy now, you will be healthy forever. You need to continuously do something to keep yourself healthy, and doctors can help you in that area. They have knowledge and tools to keep the simple colds away, and prevent other illnesses as well. You may think that getting a cold is too natural, that it really happens everyday, that you don't need professional advice. Well, do you know how healthy you are right now? If you couldn't find the answer to this question, then you need to understand that even some natural things that happen everyday, you couldn't really explain…and that sometimes you do need a professional to make the assessment for you.
- Lifestyle Check
We are all trying to maintain a balance act day in and day out. You have chores at home and you have responsibilities in the office, and so many other things in your life that keeps you busy. All these things make up what you are and how you are living your life. If you were to take a step back and look at everything that you're doing right now in a wider perspective, would you say that you balance out? Have you got your schedules on time, or have you got accomplished what you said you would? Do you still feel happy or do you feel heavily burdened already?
List down the things that you're currently busy with and put them in order according to what you need, what you want, and how important each is to you. You would then be able to see which ones you do first and which ones you do next. This will save you from headaches and a lot of coping up with lost time. This will also allow you to prevent any stress and worries coming your way.
- Start Now
There is no better time to do something valuable than today. Tomorrow may be too late as they say, and that's definitely true! How could you do anything for yourself if your bedridden already? Start early, start right now, and you will enjoy life as it is for many more years to come.
EATING FASTFOOD
By Je, Call for Health Team
More often than not, we are compelled to buy from fast food chains due to our very busy schedules. Almost every corner in the city there is a popular burger shop or a mini grocery available, and if you are racing against time trying not to be late, it sure has become a daily habit to have a small plastic bag towed in hand for quick eating before work starts.
What makes these fast food appealing and thriving is the fact that it is the most accessible and readily available food shop around where most people are. To most office workers, they are able to save a lot of time to do other important things in the office if they will be able to eat in the fastest time possible. To them, eating in fast food chains enable them to be back at work and be more "productive".
However, eating fastfood has its health hazards if it has become a 24/7 habit. Our body needs more nutrients than those we get from the usual burgers and fries. We would still require a balanced diet, that which includes meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, and fruits in our daily menu.
However, if you can't help but continue to eat fast food, here are some tips that would keep you healthy:
- Eat in moderation - Even if you are craving greatly for a particular food, watch the fat, cholesterol and salt content, as it may cause problems in the long run. Avoid ordering too much, more than what you can consume in just one serving. Allow your body to digest the food properly.
- Plan your meal - Since fast foods do not require you to order ala carte and instead they encourage you to buy their packaged food products, consider what you have eaten previously that day so you do not keep on eating the same kinds of food. We tend to automatically order food products out of habit than carefully selecting them everytime we go to the nearest fast food shop. Spread your food intake wherein you ensure that you have enough carbohydrates and proteins relative to the amount of work you will be doing for the day.
- Eat Immediately - Some fast food shops pre-cook their products and then fully cooks them when someone orders over the counter. This could affect the flavor and freshness of the food you have ordered. The next time you order, it would always be best to consume the product as soon as possible so that the flavor would still be in tact, and ensure that it remains edible for you to have a good dining experience.
- Know the value of your money - Eating fast food may seem very affordable with all the bundled products available but it would be very expensive or even be just equal to the cost of buffet if you don't watch your spending. Consider the number of product items in a meal package when you decide on what to order. Is it fairly priced, meaning can it satisfy your hunger without you going broke? Remember, ordering a lot of meal packages can be hefty on your pocket so choose wisely based on your budget.
So the next time you pass by a fast food shop, remember to choose wisely and not just hurriedly to get the most out of eating fast food!
