9 Ways Families can Prevent the Flu

Basketball season is in full swing for my teen daughter which means practice weekdays, upcoming games and tournaments and no time for the flu. Frankly, with a large active family it’s hard to avoid which is why we don’t take the risk. We get our flu shots when they become available and always make sure to practice these 9 ways to prevent the flu.

Shoppers Drug Mart is offering flu shots for busy families across Canada. Just pop into your nearest location, get your flu shot and know you’re protected.

The #1 way we prevent the flu is to get the flu shot so on a recent mother/daughter date, our first stop was Shoppers Drug Mart to get our flu shots and do a little shopping while we waited. With makeup displays all around, let’s just say it’s not a sad day for my teen.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post through Shoppers Drug Mart. All opinions and experiences are 100% my own.

9 Ways to Prevent the Flu

1. Get the flu shot. This is the best way to prevent yourself from getting the flu and Shopper Drug Mart makes it easy for busy lives so you can quickly drop in to get immunized and be on your way.
2. Wash hands often. Make it a habit to wash your hands using the proper technique.
3. Use hand sanitizer. When you can’t wash your hands make sure to carry hand sanitizer to help kill the germs you come in contact when touching shared surfaces.
4. Avoid touching your face. Your hands touch surfaces that multiple hands touch, cough or sneeze on; it becomes easy to get sick if you touch a surface containing the flu virus and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth before having washed your hands.
5. Stay home when sick. It may not always be possible to stay home from work or school but avoid unnecessary trips to the grocery store or to activities. Usually we can tell if we are too sick to attend work (or school for the kids); a good indicator would be if you are running a fever or have an uncontrollable cough.
6. Cough into your arm. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing to prevent spreading illness to those around you. Use a tissue or cough into your shirt or arm, always ensuring you cover your mouth and nose completely. If you cough or sneeze into your hands, wash your hands before touching anything.
7. Disinfect home and work surfaces. Handrails and door knobs come into contact with hands and carry germs and they don’t get cleaned often enough. When flu season is in high gear you will want to disinfect surfaces to prevent catching and spreading the flu, especially when you have sick coworkers or sick family.
8. Keep your distance from the sick. When you have a sick family member it is hard to do this but you can still care for the ill and keep your distance as much as possible. Quarantine the ill family member to their bedroom and bathroom; disinfecting a smaller space vs the whole house will be easier and chances are better that the rest of the family can avoid catching the illness. Remember to wash your hands after entering the sick family members space and avoid touching your face.
9. Practice healthy habits. Keep active, get your rest, eat healthy and drink plenty of water to keep your immune system at its best.

For more information on flu shot facts, check out 5 Flu Myths and Facts: Why You Should Get the Flu Shot, Shoppers Drug Mart website FAQ’s or join in the #ShoppersFlu conversation with me on Twitter @thislilpiglet and @ShopprsDrugMart.

Giveaway includes the following items in the gift pack, a $160 CAD value:

• Life Brand Hand Sanitizer
• Life Brand Cough Drops
• Life Brand Vaporizing Cold Rub
• Life Brand Electrolyte Maintenance Powder
• Life Brand Vaporizer
• Life Brand Digital Thermometer
• No Name Disinfectant Wipes
• PC Chicken Noodle Soup
• PC Facial Tissues
• PC Feeling Soothed Tea
• $100 gift card

It’s easy to enter, just tell me in the comments below your best way to prevent the flu.

The more you tweet tagging @ShopprsDrugMart AND @thislilpiglet with #ShoppersFlu, the more chances you have to win. You can tweet up to 3 times per day in the form and more if you simply click to tweet this tweet below.