Anil Sharma, managing director of Alconbury and Loves Farm Pharmacies shares his top tips and provides clarity on what you should be doing to protect your health and wellbeing during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Maintaining good health and staying well is very important at this time,” says Anil Sharma.
Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands
We should all be washing our hands before meals and after visiting the toilet anyway, but at this time it pays to be more vigilant.
Make sure you’re using soap and warm water and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds – or as long as it takes you to sing ‘Happy birthday’.
Get deep cleaning
It’s not just your hands you should be cleaning.
Anil says: “Clean objects and surfaces you touch often such as door handles and phones. You can do this using your regular cleaning products.”
Making sure your possessions are as clean as possible will ensure that any potential traces of the virus are well and truly gone. Objects you use often - whether only at home or out and about – should be cleaned more frequently and thoroughly.
Take your regular medication
Although the daily advancements in the coronavirus outbreak are confusing, this shouldn’t affect your regular medication intake.
If you have been prescribed medication from a medical professional, you should continue to take this as advised in order to manage your existing condition.
Stay hydrated
You should be drinking about 2 litres of water a day to keep appropriately hydrated in normal circumstances, and this is especially advised during the coronavirus pandemic.
You should be drinking enough water so that your urine is pale and clear.
Five-a-day
It goes without saying that you need to be maintaining a healthy diet – this will improve your immune system and help maintain a healthy weight and mindset – especially if you’re working from home.
“You should be eating three balanced meals and your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day – this is a good, manageable target,” Anil says.
Sleep tight
Whether your body needs eight hours or five hours to feel satisfied, it’s important that you’re getting a good night’s sleep.
It can be difficult to maintain a good routine when working from home; there’s no need to be up as early in the morning, and the line between work and home has been blurred.
To stay well, keep to the same bedtime and morning routine – if you’re run down because you haven’t had enough sleep your body will struggle to fight off a virus.
Light exercise
Gyms may be closed but that’s no excuse not to keep yourself moving.
“There are plenty of online workouts for varying levels of fitness that you can follow at home,” Anil suggests.
“Even a walk around the garden will suffice if you have enough space.”
Look after your mental wellbeing
Amongst all the panic and confusion, you need to find a way to protect your mental health.
If you’re self-isolating, or practising social distancing, keep in touch with friends and family, even if that’s over the phone, video calls or social media, will help prevent loneliness.
For more information about any of the above or to contact your nearest pharmacy see below:
Loves Farm Pharmacy:
www.facebook.com/lovesfarmpharmacyuk
01480 215665
5 Kester Way, St Neots, PE19 6SL
Alconbury Pharmacy:
www.facebook.com/alconburychemist
01480 896630
1 Bell Lane, Alconbury, Huntingdon, PE28 4DU
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here