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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2018)
Page 4A EASTERN OREGON MARKETPLACE East Oregonian Tuesday, November, 13, 2018 Fighting the Common Cold M ost adults have as many as three colds a year and children have them a lot more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Cold are caused by a virus, the most common being rhinovirus. Other cold-causing critters include respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, human coronavirus and human metapneumovirus. SYMPTOMS Though colds can occur any time of year, most people get them in the winter and spring. Symptoms include: • Sore throat; • Runny nose; • Coughing; • Sneezing; • Headaches; and • Body aches. These should resolve in seven to 10 days, but a cold can develop into a more seri- ous illness like bronchitis or pneumonia. PREVENTION Wash your hands often with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. Teach your chil- dren to do this, also. If there’s no soap, use a hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and stay away from people who are sick. If you’re sick, stay home and don’t spread your germs to others. TREATMENT There’s no cure, but over- the-counter medicines can treat your symptoms. For children, talk to a doctor before administering cold medications. Rest and get plenty of flu- ids, and run a clean humidifi- er or cool-mist humidifier. Take acetaminophen, ibupro- © ADOBE STOCK fen or naproxen to relieve pain and fever. For a sore throat: Soothe it with ice chips, popsicles, loz- enges or a spray; gargle with salt water and drink warm beverages. For ear pain: Put a warm, moist compress on the affect- ed ear. For a runny nose: Increase your fluid intake and use a decongestant or saline nasal spray. For sinus pain and conges- tion: Put a warm compress over the nose and forehead; use a decongestant or saline nasal spray; breathe in steam from hot water or a shower. For cough: Breathe in steam from a hot water or shower; use lozenges or honey. Quick Holiday Workouts © ADOBE STOCK ime is short during the holiday seasonc but that’s no excuse to skip out on working out. Try some of these tips to squeeze in some exercise. T USE INTERVALS Interval training alternates between different exercises, usually with vary- ing degrees of effort, speed or strength. This alternation between more-intense and less-intense work- outs can bring big benefits. The Mayo Clinic says interval training can burn more calories, improve your aerobic capacity and can be done without special equipment. As with any work- out, make sure to warm up and stretch before and after you exercise. BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES Bodyweight exercises are much what they sound like. They use the body’s natural weight to build strength in muscle groups. No special equipment or extra weights are need- ed. An example of a bodyweight exer- cise is a chin-up, sit-up or a push-up. However, you can also do twists, squats and balance exercises. Start out with two sets of 10 reps and only increase the sets or reps when it becomes easy. GOING FOR A WALK Look at your holiday errands and see if you can walk to any shops or stores you plan to visit. If you have to drive, park as far from the store as possible. Skip the elevators and take the stairs. When you have a break at work, take a stroll around the neigh- borhood, to a different floor, or maybe even just around the parking lot. Anything to get your step count (and your energy levels) up. DON’T IGNORE THE CORE Getting your arms and legs moving is easy, but keep a care for your core muscles, too. Your core muscles are in your torso and help with balance, posture and strength. Some exercises to help your core are planks (balance your weight on your toes and fore- arms and hold the position), kneeling extensions (on your hands and knees, extend one leg and the opposite arm out and hold for a count of 10), and chair crunches (on your back, place your lower legs on a chair and your hands behind your head, then slowly curl upwards). If you’re not used to exercising, build up slowly. In time, you may find that regular exercise not only gets you in better shape, but helps you deal with holiday stress.