If you didn’t have to call in sick last week, count yourself lucky.

Now that cold weather is here, most of us are hunkering down, picking up germs and spreading them around.

“It’s the season,” says Dr. Ellen Rome, head of adolescent medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.

There are things you can do to protect yourself. Here’s a list. Check it out. A few changes have been made over the years.

• Wash your hands.

Do it the right way – for 30 seconds (as long as it takes to slowly say the ABCs), with warm soapy water, making sure to get in between your fingers and under your nails. And do it often – before and after meals, and after using the bathroom, handling money or touching a doorknob.

If you can’t get to soap and water, reach for a bottle of hand sanitizer such as Purell.

• Catch your cough.

But forget about covering your nose and mouth with your hand. Doctors now recommend coughing into the crook of your arm.

Which leads us to the next tip.

• Keep your hands away from your face.

Touching your mouth or nose with your hands is one of the best ways to spread germs.

• Take vitamin C.

There’s debate over vitamin C, but studies show that taking it early can help, Rome says.

“There’s some data that shows it may activate your antioxidants – the things that fight off germs – and fight that cold off more efficiently.” But you’ve got to take it within 12 hours of your first symptom showing up.

• Stay home.

“If your child has a fever, don’t send them to school,” Rome says. “If you have a fever, this is where flexible work hours are a bonus. Seeing if you can work from home is a great strategy.”

• Boost your immune system.

Eat right, get enough sleep and exercise.

“That’s what’s going to help you fight off infection,” Blake-Gumbs says.

If you still manage to catch a cold, relax.

“Getting a small cold is actually a good thing,” Blake-Gumbs says. “It challenges your immune system, revs it up a little bit and keeps you healthy.”