Work Matters

How to give the office lurgy the elbow this winter

Always seem to be coming down with a cold in the office? Wary about swine flu? Take action with these five steps to stay healthy at work this winter

1 Start with soup

Give yourself a fighting chance by eating healthily – stockpiling vitamins and minerals is a great way to build up your immunity.

 Beverley Glock, founder of cookery firm Splat Cooking, recommends making a hearty soup for lunch. “Just add stock and seasoning to all the leftover vegetables in the fridge and cook for 20 minutes the night before. Then pop in the fridge and take a flask or Tupperware container of delicious soup into work.”

2 ‘C’ sense

Have a bowl of oranges on your desk for a readily available daily intake of vitamin C, advises Beverly. Not only is vitamin C crucial to a strong immune system, but it’s the only vitamin your body doesn’t store.

Sipping hot water with lemon juice and honey, which has natural antibacterial qualities, is an easy way to get an extra shot of vitamin C, she says.

3 Be aware of lurgy hotspots

Most germs get passed around through hand-to-hand contact or touching something that’s contaminated.

The watercooler, for instance, might be a great source of office gossip, but it can also harbour bugs on the spout and handles. The kettle, microwave door, door handles, handrails and banisters are other places where office nasties can also lurk.

Antiseptic hand gels or wipes are a great first line of defense. Try non-clinical-smelling Radox Hand Gel (£1.29), or Savlon’s Cleansing Wipes with Antiseptic (£1.95 for a pack of ten).

Gadget-fiends can arm themselves with a Handler (£10.95 from www.relax-uk.com), a device that allows you to open doors and push buttons without direct contact.

4 Stay calm

Not managing your stress levels effectively can leave your immune system susceptible to illness.

“Stress causes the hormones cortisol and adrenaline to act as direct inhibitors of white blood cells,” says Dr Rosy Daniel, medical director of Health Creation, which runs a series of health programmes and mentoring services.

Instead of unwinding with a drink after work, she recommends yoga or t’ai chi to chill out.

5 Do everyone a favour

Are you one of those people that soldiers on, gallantly, refusing to let ‘a bit of a cold’ get in the way of work? If you are, stop!

“If you’re ill, don’t go in to work. Your colleagues won’t thank you for passing the office lurgy around,” says Beverly.

So, there you go – it’s official: if you’re ill, stay home. Though be warned: daytime TV probably won’t make you feel much better…

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