Fall officially starts a little over a month from now. Which means now is the perfect window of time to get yourself educated on cold and flu preventive care. What can you do right now to avoid catching a cold in the colder months ahead? 

It's actually a lot easier than you may think. Remember these following simple habits, and you are on your way to a healthier and more productive fall and winter season that won't be spent at home or in the hospital bed.

1. Drink Lots of Water. If your body is an expensive car, water is the high-quality oil that keeps everything running at optimum level. Are you drinking your minimum 8 glasses of water a day? If you need some tips on how to get more water into your everyday lifestyle, read this blog post.

2. Whatever You Do, Don't Touch Your Face. Start getting into the habit of seeing your face as a no-touch zone, especially your eyes, ears and mouth. Those openings are the most effective ways for cold and flu germs to enter your system and make you sick. If you absolutely must touch your face for whatever reason, make sure to properly wash your hands with warm water and soap before doing so.

3. Move It! Do whatever it takes to keep your body moving. Start hitting the gym wth your friends. Do jump-ropes in the driveway before you work. If even the word "exercise" makes you want to crawl into a hole and die, go out clubbing, hiking, biking, or at least take the stairs instead of the elevator. Illlnesses love to prey on the lazy, unfit people and you don't want to be one of them.

4. Take a Daily Multivitamin. Follow the standard dosage and you are good to go. Keep in mind that too much vitamins is never a good thing, and that vitamins are never a substitute for a healthy diet.

5. Be Careful of Your Contact With Sick People. This is common sense that needs to be brought up again and again. If somebody around you--especially someone close to you--is noticeably sick, take extra caution. Don't share drinks or food utensils. Wash your hands thoroughly and gargle your mouth with salt water after interacting with them. Keep a safe (but not too rude) distance between you and the other person.

6. Eat Your Veggies. Especially the colorful (think bell peppers and carrots) and dark green (think spinach) kind. If you are like most people, you are probably not eating enough of your veggies. Though a salad may not be as enticing as a slice of pizza, consider that a salad probably tastes better than a spoonful of antibiotics.

7. Start Loving Hand-Washing. Wash your hands frequently and effectively. This cannot be repeated enough if you want to avoid getting sick.

8. Don't Smoke or Drink. At least don't do them excessively. Both activities lower the defenses in your immune system.

9. Be Happy. It is becoming a proven science that happy people tend to be healthier and catch less illnesses than unhappy people. Smile more, laugh more, spend time with people more. Don't stress over the small stuff, and find reasons to see the silver lining in everything (like not having a cold right now, for starters). You're healthy for a reason, and that reason is to enjoy your life as much as you possibly can.