If you never get sick, please tell me your secret!

[Zoraflora]

Im 45 year old female non smoker, rarely drink, stone overweight, eat mostly healthy diet, takeaway once a fortnight and sweets / dessert probably about 4 days per week.

Get enough sleep, exercise about 3 times per week, no major stress in my life.

Im clean, my home is clean. Practice hand hygiene etc

I seem to get sick a lot (not tummy bugs) Ive had flu, covid and a couple of head colds since last Christmas. Why, what am I doing wrong?

My husband on the other hand never gets sick despite eating similar to me & never takes vitamins.

Is it just down to an individuals immune system or is there anything I can do to stop getting ill so often.

Anti bac every time I get in car.
Women's vitamins every day.

I work in a primary 1 class in a school AND in a pub on busy weekends, on top of that we have a horse at a stables with no mains water so hand washing before eating is tricky due to a very busy life the cleanliness of the house leaves a lot to be desired- I reckon my immunise system has just encountered pretty much everything it possibly can at this point 😅. I drink more wine than I should too. Maybe kills stuff off? I did have a blip earlier last winter where I seemed to catch one thing after another- I blame the covid lack of exposure but it seems back to normal now 🤞🏼

I think a lot of it is genetics and luck of the draw. I rarely get ill and when I do, it tends to be milder than others - when I had glandular fever, I was ill for about a week, when friends who had it at the same time were off for months. The last time I had covid, I wouldn't have known, if work hadn't been insisting on testing at the time before going into the office - I've had worse colds. My diet is not always great, and I don't always do as much exercise as I should. I don't have children, which probably helps, but my parents were hardly ever ill either (until the ends of their lives.)

Some years ago, a friend had a serious illness, and for a few years after that, he caught every possible passing bug, and quite badly, too - I think his immune system had taken such a beating and then wasn't getting the chance to build itself back up again. Plus each time he was given antibiotics, that will clear out the good bacteria as well as the bad. I think I've only had antibiotics about 4 times in my life, and I'm now in my 50s.

@CarPour DH is exposed to the same children and doesn’t get sick though?

I am not sure this is true - I have 2DC and been teaching 20 years - I am never ill. My mum is the same - 72 and never ever ill. I think most of it is genetics as neither of us is living a particularly healthy lifestyle.

Following with interest.... I am never sick except Covid, currently got it for the 4th time.

Have autoimmune diseases. My immune system's so shit hot, it decides to attack my own body - a humble little corona virus doesn't stand a chance if it wanders into my nose.

You say " Ive had flu, covid and a couple of head colds since last Christmas", which seems as though you're making a bit of a meal of it ....

I always thought I never got ill, then I realised that I just took it in my stride and forgot it,

I think it must be genetics. I’ve worked in schools for 30 years and still get every cold going, but not sickness bugs.

Exposure you children and you’ve had it - little germ buckets

Again, maybe genetics. These things are never “get on with it” level for me personally.

For me, I didn't grow up in a particularly hygienic household, don't mind eating things that are out of date (though not green etc!) or have been left on a stove top hanging around for a few days so can only think some of that builds up some sort of resistance? I don't actually know. On the other side, I wash my hands a lot and never take vitamins, don't smoke, but like a tipple. Last cold I had was in 2018. Have never had COVID.

My SIL bless her, is caeliac and lactose intolerant, obsessively cleans (her own words) her house each day and is always ill with something.

I won't pretend I'm a Dr or scientist that understands why some folk come down with bugs and some don't. I think some of it must be luck.

My oh is always sick. Me , never.n both WFH eat same food, I think it's the genes

I think it's our jobs and how many people we meet. Like OP, I work in a building with no opening windows with about 100 plus people and also meet another hundred a week pretty close up for interviews. Always fighting some bug and spending weekends feeling crap. Can't visit my mum today because I have a headache and sniffles.

I've had flu twice in my life and certainly never 'just got on with it' I certainly still remember this and the latest one was 20 odd years ago. Covid was pretty vile for a couple of days too but nothing like having flu

I get sick more than I did when I was younger but was diagnosed with asthma at 19 and apparently you’re more resistant to colds etc.

My local WW group leader said she asked her local pharmacist about how he improved his immune system and he said extra zinc. I take vit c and zinc plus extra zinc every day now. Also window open.

I’m the same OP. I don’t think the lock downs for good for building my immunity and since I got Covid it seems to lower my immune response

Ha yes DNephew has loads of colds and I see him a fair bit. The one time I got norovirus was seeing a friend who’s DD had it and didn’t realise. That was fun, not!

Same, had covid twice but immune system is lowere. I’ve had all the boosters etc but doesn’t seem to have helped.

Have upped garlic and onion intake.

Luck, mainly. I am clean but not obsessively so (eg no hand sanitiser - we need exposure to bugs and germs so that we can fight them off). Eat whatever I like. Don't exercise. Drink alcohol in small amounts, a couple of days a week. Keep my mind very active tho. Haven't seen a GP for over 20 years. Generally don't fuss or think about my health at all.
As one positive point, I have never smoked, which is probably helpful. And I'm a great believer in the power of sleep - always sleep well, and usually go to bed reasonably early.
I have the occasional cold, but not had a day off work sick for over 12 years. As far as I know, never had Covid.

Hope this hasn't jinxed me!

I am ill a lot but have 2 school age children and high stress so put it down to that. I've also had to take antibiotics a lot in my life so I think that hasn't helped.

Not sure, got every childhood illness going as a child, lived abroad caught some illnesses there Inc. Malaria, got all my kids colds and norovirus. Since kids at secondary, 8 years, they don't get ill and I don't either. Husband caught covid twice, none of us did. Maybe immune system built up after catching everything for years!! I work with public so unusual not to get covid.

I forgot to add that I also eat a lot of garlic!

I see people have suggested similar things but…work in a primary school. Preferably in EYFS.

We were all hideously ill during the winter term of the PGCE, then ever since then I’ve been much better at fighting bugs. I still get unwell, but generally bounce back relatively quickly.

Cold swimming has definitely increased my overall well being and have had far less colds/ flu/ bugs since doing this regularly