Daily downpours can take a toll on both your mood and your overall health. Here’s what you can do to make sure those showers don’t get you down.
1. Eat your veggies
Fruits and vegetables are jam-packed with vitamins and antioxidants, making them invaluable tools in the fight to get and stay healthy. During the rainy season months, load up on extra helpings of stir-fried morning glory and other leafy greens to avoid common ailments.
2. Hit the gym
Maintaining a healthy level of physical fitness is good for just about everything, including warding off bacterial infections. Try to exercise on a regular basis in order to keep your endorphin levels up and your number of colds down.
3. Get some shuteye
It may feel like your body is doing nothing while you sleep, but that’s far from the case. While you snooze, most of the major systems take a moment to repair and recharge themselves. If you want your immune system functioning at peak performance, be sure to get plenty of rest.
4. Keep dry
Staying out of the rain is easier said than done, especially since Thailand’s deluges tend to appear with little warning. The best thing to do is simply to be prepared. Pack a collapsible umbrella and a poncho at all times in case of sudden rainfall.
5. Stay hydrated
Even during the rainy months, Thailand’s hot, humid climate means you need to drink tons of liquids. Not all of this needs to be — or should be — icy cold water, however. Warm herbal teas, especially those with ginger, are a great way to keep your fluid intake up. Bone broths and soups are also terrific for your health, especially if you’ve been feeling under the weather and need a boost.
6. Wash your hands
Stop the spread of bacteria by frequently and thoroughly washing your hands, preferably with an antibacterial soap. It’ll keep you from picking up or passing on any stray germs.
6. Quit smoking
There are a million reasons to stop smoking, ranging from vanity — you’ll have whiter teeth, fresher breath and fewer wrinkles — to financial advantages — you’ll save tons of cash and not have to worry about throwing out all your stinky throw pillows and furnishings — to serious medical concerns — you’ll slash your risk of deadly cancers and other terminal illnesses. If you need yet another one, here it is: smoking weakens your respiratory system and means you are more likely to catch a cold during the rainy season. If you haven’t already, throw those cigarettes in the trash.
