Now that we’ve entered flu season, it’s time to be proactive. While getting the flu shot is the most effective way to prevent the flu, there are a variety of simple ways to further arm yourself. Here are some low-cost ways to reduce your risk of getting sick.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s important to look after your own health and well-being. This includes: nutritious eating, keep your allergies under control, and get an adequate amount of rest.

 Wash your hands – a lot. No matter where you spend your day, if you come into contact with people who are contagious, it’s important to wash your hands over and over again.

Avoid getting too close to people who are sick. If Doctors are very cautious about hand shaking, you should be too! Avoiding this form of body-to-body contact is crucial at this time of year. Click here for some tips to politely avoid shaking someone’s hand, in an effort to avoid getting sick.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If you aren’t near soap and water after coming into contact with someone who is contagious, a sanitizer can act as a substitute, killing both cold and flu germs. Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be purchased for just $1/bottle at your local Dollar store!

Keep your surroundings clean and sanitized. Purchase some sanitizer wipes to clean your desk, keyboard, phone and doorknob – on a regular basis! Let’s face it – not everyone stays at home if they feel sick. This makes it even more important to ensure the cleanliness of our home and workspace.