Outsmart germs and avoid getting sick

Fall means hot cider, changing leaves, and doing everything to avoid getting sick. It's all about outsmarting the germs and keeping them OUT.

We pick up the common cold by touching handrails, keyboards, doorknobs- any communal surface you can imagine. Then we rub our eyes, brush our noses, and put our fingers near our mouths- without even realizing it.

Forget the Vitamin C and expensive elixirs. When it comes to prevention, what you really need is soap. According to the CDC, frequently washing our hands reduces colds in the general population by 21%.

But let's say it's too late and we're already sick. Now it's our job to keep the germs IN. This means coughing and sneezing into our elbows every single time. NOT into our palms. That's what the germs want! If they can't be forcefully expelled into the air, then being sprayed onto our hands -which are touching all those communal surfaces- is a very close second.

You know the rest. Drink lots of fluids and get plenty of sleep. We're going to stay well! High five!- But now we've got to wash our hands.