All Episodes

November 18, 2019 4 mins

Keep cold and flu season from wearing you down

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to set up routines that will help you,
your family, and your colleagues or employees stay healthy during
the winter. Illness feels horrible, of course, and it can

(00:26):
also wreak havoc on your schedule, whether it's you getting sick,
your kids getting sick, or both. Organizations likewise, can wind
up in a tough spot when the entire sales department
comes down with the stomach bug. If you're running an organization,
here's what you shouldn't do. Be stingy with sick days.

(00:47):
This just backfires. One study from Accountempts found that of
professionals had come into the office sick, generally because they
felt they had so much work to do, or because
they felt they had to spare the or sick days
for something. Even worse, sick people get other people sick,
and when they don't take it easy, they prolong their

(01:08):
illnesses or make them worse. Now I know there's some
gray area and some of those nine might be just
a small case of the sniffles. One way to deal
with this is to have a very liberal work from
home policy. If your company does this sort of work
that can be done flexibly, then make it clear that
anyone feeling under the weather but mostly functional is welcome

(01:32):
to work as they can from home without taking pt O.
Anyone caring for a sick child who doesn't need constant
attention is welcome to do the same. You will buy
incredible employee loyalty this way. As for individual habits, well,
I know this sounds trite, but really wash your hands
when you use the soap in a public restroom. Do

(01:53):
you check that you get a big glob? Do you
really scrub it around everywhere? Front, back, your wrists, your nails.
Does your hand washing take the full twenty seconds? It's
supposed to be careful what surfaces you touch after washing
your hands, too. Door handles and light switches can be
interesting places under a microscope, especially in winter. Make it

(02:14):
a family rule that everyone washes hands when they come
in the door. Kids getting off a bus can drop
their backpacks, take off their shoes, and head straight to
the sink before getting a snack. Put a bottle of
hand sanitizer in your car so people can use it
whenever they get in after touching the outside world. Kids
can attach portable bottles of hand sanitizer to their backpacks

(02:36):
or keep them in their lockers to use before lunch.
Put a big bottle of hand sanitizer on your desk
and use a squirt every time you get back there.
If someone in your household does get sick, it can
be really tough to keep it from spreading. I know
in my house, if a stomach bug has hit three children,
it's just a matter of time before it hits the fourth.

(02:57):
But using disinfecting wipes on surfaces like door handles can help.
Aside from hand washing and disinfecting, part of staying healthy
is just taking care of yourself in general. So get
enough sleep. Remember that going to bed early is how
grown up sleep in. Eat your fruits and vegetables, manage
your stress, and get some physical activity. But if you

(03:21):
do go to the gym, make sure you use the
hand sanitizer after touching cardio equipment or weights. Bacteria and
viruses turn out to be more faithful JIM goers than
many of us are. In the meantime, this is Laura,
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

(03:48):
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast Pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast
p o D. You can also shoot me an email
at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before

(04:08):
Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Before Breakfast News

Advertise With Us

Follow Us On

Host

Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam

Show Links

About

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.