The pandemic has created a wave of concern over health and wellness. Here, Premier Medical Group provides some tips on how you can stay well in 2020.
As we all know, 2020 has been a difficult year.
Between COVID-19 and its ramifications on employment, childcare and homeschooling, and distance from loved ones, staying well is a challenge.
However, prioritizing your health and wellness is crucial, especially during these demanding times. Keep your immune system strong and push through flu season with our 5 tips to stay well in 2020.
Beyond COVID: 5 Tips to Stay Well in 2020
1. Annual Wellness Visits
Maintaining your regular annual wellness visits is important to stay healthy and practice prevention.
Missing a routine checkup can lead to undiagnosed issues, which puts you at risk for illness and disease. That’s why visiting your doctor for your annual wellness visits and yearly screenings is necessary, even during a pandemic. In addition, chronic illnesses need consistent monitoring to keep you living your life.
Because of this, we prioritize your safety above all else and require several practices to lower the risk of infection:
- We take mandatory temperature screenings of each patient, visitor, and staff upon entering the building.
- Masks are required for all patients, visitors, and staff.
- Social distancing is achieved by spacing out appointments and not permitting guests or visitors to accompany adult patients, unless special assistance is required.
- We are upholding hygiene recommendations by cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces.
- Premier Medical Group is offering Telemedicine appointments to patients.
If you need to schedule a checkup, call us or visit us online!
2. Diet and Exercise
As always, a healthy diet and daily exercise are part of a holistic wellness regimen.
Eating a varied diet of colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as a moderate amount of healthy fats and protein, will keep your body strong and well-fed to fight off any infection. Keeping alcohol, sweets, and simple starches to a minimum will reduce inflammation and boost your immune system as well.
As for exercise, we recommend getting at least half an hour of moderate-intensity exercise every day. Moderate exercise is defined as raising your heart rate and breathing heavier but still managing to hold a conversation.
Some great examples of moderate-intensity exercise include power walking, biking up and down hills, dynamic weight lifting exercises, and swimming. Find something you enjoy so that you can maintain a consistent movement practice each day!
3. Vaccinations
Every year, both children and adults should get their annual flu shot to protect against infection during flu season.
Especially since children are returning to school, getting the flu shot will protect the whole family from illness. Dr. Kimberly Clare, a pediatrician at Premier Medical Group, highlights that contracting COVID-19 and the flu at the same time is a serious concern.
Practice healthy habits and get your flu shot with Premier Medical Group today.
Patients who are 65 and older should get flu shots as well as a pneumonia vaccination (PPSV23). The CDC also recommends a dose of PCV13 for those without immunocompromising conditions, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, or cochlear implants. Both of these vaccines provide coverage against pneumococcal disease, which can cause serious illness or death.
By protecting yourself against the flu and pneumonia, you can also protect your immune system from COVID-19.
4. Daily Hygiene Practices
Hygiene is one of the easiest ways to prevent illness. Washing your hands with soap and warm water after being in public, before eating, and after using the restroom will lower your risk of most types of infection.
We also recommend keeping your hands away from your face, especially if you are in public and haven’t been able to wash your hands.
5. Self-care
Finally, self-care is a fun and relaxing way to preserve your health in 2020. Mental health is intimately connected to physical health, so taking the time to enjoy your favorite activities or treat yourself is critical to maintaining total health.
Self-care can be anything from going for a walk in the park to enjoying a piece of cake. Think of what makes you feel good, inside and out, and try to incorporate it into your weekly routine.
If you need some ideas, we have a list of self-care activities for you to try:
- Practice yoga and burn incense in the background for the full experience.
- Watch your favorite childhood movies for a trip down memory lane.
- Bake some healthy and delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and enjoy some with your family.
- Spend a weekend reading a book series that you have been meaning to read.
- Go for a hike and take in the view.
- Have a picnic with family and pay frisbee or volleyball for a full day of fun.
- Sit down for a five-minute meditation to refresh your mind.
Self-care can be as simple or as involved as you want it to be. The most important part is that you are doing it for you, so make sure you are having a good time!
By the way, you don’t have to do this to stay well…
Many practices were suggested and even reinforced at the beginning of the pandemic to lower the risk of infection and keep people safe.
Some of these are legitimate and should be practiced, such as wearing a mask in public and staying six feet away from people outside of your immediate household.
The good news is, other practices, such as disinfecting your groceries, are no longer necessary.
Studies now show that the virus lives on surfaces for less than 24 hours and degrades rapidly during that time. Only traces amount of the virus are shown after four hours on cardboard, so washing and disinfecting your grocery packages aren’t necessary to prevent infection.
However, you should disinfect your countertops, cabinet handles, and refrigerator handle after unloading your groceries, as well as wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
We also suggest washing your fruits and vegetables before cooking and eating, which is a good habit to get into besides COVID due to pesticides and dirt.
Protect Your Health with Our Wellness Tips
Premier Medical Group advocates for total body and mind health, especially during the pandemic.
Practice our tips above to boost your immune system, calm your mind, and protect against infection during the cold and flu season.
Call Premier Medical Group today to schedule your annual checkups.
Premier Medical Group is dedicated to providing the best care for you and your family. We have locations in Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, New Windsor, Fishkill, and Kingston. Call your provider to schedule a checkup with us today.