Staying healthy and avoiding getting sick are tasks that we undergo daily. Getting sick, however, is always possible. The microscopic size of bacteria makes it almost impossible to avoid a spread. Also, some people accidentally forget to cover their nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing. Incidentally, colds are transferred to different people everyday. As difficult as it seems, steps can be taken to prevent the spread of sickness and help people stay healthy.
Keeping clean is a key part of avoiding sickness. Colds are commonly spread through sneezing and coughing, either through indirect physical contact (direct physical contact is usually avoided) or the air. One well-known situation in which bacteria is spread by indirect physical contact occurs is the door knob. A sick person sneezes into his-or-her hand and touches a door knob; the next person to open the door might catch the same cold and pass it on. To prevent a spread through air or physical contact is to cover sneezes and coughs as completely as possible. Diseases, such as the influenza virus, spread in a similar manner to the common cold. Viruses like the flu can greatly impact a community and affect it more than a cold. A large portion of the impacted community is schools. During flu season, students might miss important school days, such as a due date for a Powerpoint presentation or 100 point test.
Eating healthy is one of the best possible ways to stay healthy. A good diet should usually consist of meat that is usually low in fat and high in protein, plenty of vegetables and fruits, and a good serving of fish. Why so specific? Meat that is high in saturated fat can lead to high amounts of cholesterol in the circulatory system. Cholesterol can build up in the blood vessels and the heart, eventually blocking the pathway for blood flow and triggering a heart attack.Vegetables are high in fiber, which helps the stomach digest food, and contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals, both of which help people grow healthily. Fruits also have vitamins and minerals, but many also contain a large amount of water, which is needed to filter out toxins and wastes from the body.
A minor way to stay healthy is to exercise whenever possible. Constant exercise can help a person to stay healthy, but some of the benefits that exercise is said to provide are rumors for the unaware. One example is walking as an exercise. With a daily walking routine, a person might expect a well-controlled blood pressure and gradual weight loss, maybe even a reduced risk of contracting osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones become brittle and soft. In reality, walking has no correlation to blood pressure, body weight, or osteoporosis, but it has been proven that there is a lessened risk of diabetes in people who walk for exercise.
Addictions, bad habits, and substance abuse is a strong factor in getting sick. Prolonged use of alcohol and drugs can shorten the lifespan of any person. Alcohol can continuously damages the liver, an organ that helps filter the waste out of the human body. In some cases, the liver might shut down because too much alcohol has been consumed. The liver, as well as the lungs and mouth, can also be damaged by drugs. Smoking is hazardous for all people, especially those who unintentionally second-hand smoke. People who second hand smoke have a higher chance of getting lung cancer than a smoker. The main reason is the structure of the cigarette itself. The tan-colored section of a cigarette is actually a filter for all the dangerous chemicals contained within the cigarette, so a smoker only breathes smoke. Second hand smokers, however, don’t have the advantage of a filter. As a result, they breathe in dangerous toxins that smokers actually don’t.
Smokers don’t necessarily have the easy end of the deal either. The smoke that they breathe in can lead to mouth and lung cancer, paler skin, and accelerated aging. In other words, a fifteen-year-old who smokes might look like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. The hair turns white prematurely, and the teeth acquire a yellowish tinge of color.
How does one stay healthy and avoid getting sick? One can avoid the spread of colds and diseases by carefully covering the nose and mouth while sneezing and coughing. Eating healthy foods and exercising can keep the body fit and in shape. Lastly, taking care of the human body is especially essential to stay healthy and avoid getting sick.