From adventure walks to footy in the park, there's plenty of family fun to be had in the great outdoors in winter. Here are 3 very good reasons to ditch the Netflix, rug up and brave the cold!
According to medical experts, exercise has a profound and lasting positive effect on the immune system.
Trying to get some rest with a stuffy nose and a persistent cough is hard on grown-ups, let alone babies and children. With a lack of medication options, it can leave you feeling helpless when baby has a cold and they’re unsettled during the night.
Freezing? We hear you (especially if you're in Melbourne this week!) But wait, don't touch that climate control.. did you know just a one degree hike in temperature can have a significant impact on your power bill?
Instead, try these tips from The Cheapskate Club's Cathy Armstrong - she, like many others grew up without indoor heating and said her Mum's tips always kept them warm. We would also suggest a hot water bottle or a wheat bag (heated in the microwave), is great for warming the tootsies in bed on a cold night.
Mum's Simple & Effective "Keep Warm Tips"
Usually, having a sore throat is nothing to worry about - most are caused by cold or flu germs (viruses). In rare cases, however, it can signal something more serious… not to be alarming but one of the first symptoms of ebola virus is a sore throat!
Closer to everyday reality, strep bacteria, a common cause of sore throat (especially in children) can spread like wildfire through schools and daycare and if it gets into the bloodstream is pretty nasty indeed. Many other infections can also be preceded by a sore throat, so it’s never something to automatically take lightly.
So, how do you know the difference between a scratchy throat that will disappear on its own, and the start of a potentially serious infection?
1. Warm your nose
Professor Rob Eccles from the Common Cold Research Centre at Cardiff University explains: “One theory why we catch colds and flu more in winter is that our nose is colder which lowers its resistance to infection.”
In case you were wondering, YES this is an actual nose-warmer; scarily enough they are a “thing” (look on etsy for proof). But in the (pretty likely) case that you’d prefer not to caught dead in one, try the more conservative route of wrapping a scarf around your lower face and nose when in the chilled air.
Heard of “presenteeism”? If you’ve ever gone to work coughing and spluttering, you’ve probably contributed to it. The opposite of absenteeism, it’s a phenomenon where people keep coming to work, despite feeling lousy – and it’s on the rise. Surveys say up to 80% of us still report in for duty when ill, due to fear of missing something important or feeling guilty about leaving others to pick up the slack.
But presenteeism can hurt a company and other employees more than it can help. So how do you know when you really should “phone it in” or not?
Cold and flu season brings on hacking coughs that can leave your chest aching and your spirits low – and it’s not just a ‘winter thing’. Coughs happen all year round. So what can you do to soothe a cough, especially when you’re not keen on pumping your body (or your kids) full of synthetic chemical medications? Here are 4 top tips to help you breathe easier, naturally.
Nose streaming, throat scratchy, chest aching… when bedridden with a cold or flu most people will do just about anything to feel better. And with more than $250 million of cold and flu remedies sold every year in Australia, it’s obvious we don’t like to take illness lying down. But a pharmaceutical free-for-all isn’t the only way to get relief.
Thankfully there are some great (natural) ways we can support our bodies’ defences, and feel better quickly if sickness does occur. Here’s your top 7 “natural weapons” – make sure you stock up.