If you're rarely ill, tell me what you do to stay healthy

[Lottapianos]

I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, I think. I eat plenty of fruit and veg and cook from scratch virtually every day, drink plenty of water, exercise and generally get enough sleep. I do suffer from depression but not currently. I'm now fighting my third bug in about 6 weeks and I'm sick to death of feeling crappy.

If you're one of those lucky people who are rarely ill, please share your tips and suggestions- I'm so sick of being full of snot!

I barely ever got I'll. maybe one big flu every few years and the odd cold here or there. I had two plague rats children and I'm now I'll every 5 minutes, this year I've had flu (actual proper thought I was going to die flu), two bouts of bronchitis, tonsillitis and glandular fever. We're only 4 months in. I may not see out 2019!

I am never sick and haven't been to the Dr in years. I wouldn't say I am healthy though, as I am fat and eat crap. I don't smoke and don't drink a lot, (can't cope with the hangovers). I mind kids and help in a pre-school sometimes and don't pick up any bugs from the kids, I am fussy about washing my hands though. My DC are very rarely sick too. Personally I think it's because my house isn't over clean, I do clean but I don't disinfect or use bleach.

I'll go with the good gut health theory for me. I eat a lot of high fibre foods, F&Veg, and don't use anything anti-bacterial. Almost never had antibiotics, don't worry about many 'dirty things'. Don't use bleach. Played in the mud a lot as a child.

I also think I've had every ordinary pathogen I might be susceptible to: noro, flu, cold, other viruses: I've got high degree of immunity to them all.

Aurynne I think you're mistaken about the mouthbreathing. Your nose is lined with snot and hairs to fight off germs. Your mouth doesn't have any such defenses.

Caye Caulker rings a bell.
Serbia in 1993 was pretty weird. Empty shops (sanctions). Lots of politics. Ethnic atrocities only 50 miles away. Amazing flavourful vegetables (being sold everywhere since they were local products). DM as functional currency. Petrol rationing. Lots of people without anything to do (no employment). The heavy weight of history & Serbs complaining that the Croats had started the whole mess. We were among the few western Europeans around.

A medical Dr. I was mixing with socially insisted my chronic sniff meant I should have antibiotics. I hadn't encountered that antibiotics-like-sweets attitude before.

oops, I posted on wrong thread! I'll skulk off to a corner, now.

That sounds like an interesting thread though @lljkk , which one is it?

Travel to unusual places, also in Chat.

Maybe travel to being robustly healthy is also unusual for some? (I'm trying hard to salvage my pride here)

Get a dog. We got a dog in summer 2015. I make the kids walk with me in all weathers. They were 2 and 5 when we got him. This is the first year we have had any kind of snot or Illness and even then v mild. The walking toughned us up beyond my wildest dreams!

I have lung disease and rarely get ill. Air con is probably the reason OP - I used to work in an open plan office and it was always going round.

I take high strength vitamin D from October-April and have the flu jab every year. I also eat Yeo Valley yoghurt every single day. Effervescent Vitamin C / oranges / OJ if feeling low. Vogel Echinichea drops, a fair amount of fruit, always oats for breakfast. Early nights, keeping stress levels down.

I smoke, I drink (too much), my diet isn’t the best, I’m lucky to manage 5 a week never mind 5 a day! I don’t exercise enough. But I cannot actually remember the last time I was ill. Maybe 5 years ago for a day or two? It may all catch up to me later but I’m already 50 and doing ok so far! So yes, sorry OP but I think a lot of it is luck.

Second working in a hospital! We all say we have weapons grade immunity as we come into contact with A LOT of stuff and I've not been ill in a long time nor have my colleagues. I'm also overweight with a bad-ish diet, don't exercise and I've been through chemo etc so I do think exposure and building the immune system is the thing.

I second the handwashing. I would never ever touch food with my fingers if I haven t had a chance to wash them first. Same as touching ATM cash machines, lift buttons, public door handles, petrol pumps, restaurant menu, card readers, I will wash hands as soon as I can. I never touch my face, eyes, nose, ears if I haven't washed my hands. I know I sound weird but I am never ill. I spent years getting every cold, virus and tummy bug going when my children were young. Can't even remember the last time I had a cold. I clean my phone a lot too and my steering wheel, handbag and purse. Never, ever put my handbag down on the floor. If I have any itchy nose I have been known to scratch it using the inside of my top.

Definitely travel if possible! But truly, I think a lot of it is the luck of the draw wrt to genetics. I come from a family of fat, bad diet, smoker, drinker people who were also poor and ate street food. They're just largely hard to kill off so far. They do have a certain mindset, that it's your time to go, you'll go and live accordingly. I don't know, but again, at my age, I'm starting to believe there is some genetic component to it. As my 83-year-old father says, 'Something is going to get me, sooner rather than later,' and just goes about.

I drink too much, my diet is ropey at best, I do however work in a school and I'm surrounded by festering germs all day, every day. I haven't been ill in just over 6 years. Not even a sniffle.