Its that time of year again everyone! The weather is cooling down and all of our favorite winter coats are being dug out of the closets and worn throughout campus. Unfortunately, this also means that the cold season has also returned. So here comes my list of tips and tricks to stay healthy and succeed in school this winter.

1. Vitamin C- this can be found at literally every store in a variety of different forms. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and gives you energy.

2. Hydrate!! No matter who you are and what you do it is important to hydrate properly as this helps prevent illness and also helps you focus/ stay awake in class.

3. Stay Warm- wear layers and lots of them. If you get too hot you can always take off a layer and put it in your backpack. Gloves are also a great thing to have so that your hands do not get dry, crack and bleed. This can be a painful problem to deal with while taking notes in class.

4. Multi Vitamins- these just supplement your nutritional values. In other words, they help keep your body balanced so that you can perform better in school and keep yourself from getting sick.

5. If you do get sick, the best thing is mixing emergen-C supplements with orange Gatorade, it tastes like orange soda (YAY) and the combination boosts your immune system, electrolyte levels, and energy. This really helps you recover quickly from any illness, it works 9 times out of 10 in my personal experience.

6. Wash your hands!!! I know you hear this all the time but, it is a serious issue!!! You can cut down on the spread of germs by 90% by just washing your hands. Please, please, please do this, it is simply gross if you don’t!!

7. Cover your moth/nose- if you have to cough or sneeze cover your mouth or nose to block the spread of germs that go flying. It is best to do this using the inside of your elbow so that you don’t spread germs by using your hands to cover a cough/sneeze. If you do use your hands then WASH THEM. Better yet carry hand sanitizer 🙂

8. Throw tissues away- if you have a runny nose, make sure you throw your tissues away and immediately wash your hands. This cuts down on the spread of germs!!! And you don’t have to pick up nasty tissues.

9. Wash the dishes- Don’t leave any dishes laying around, and wash them using HOT soap and water. This will eliminate germs and keep dishes clean.

10. (Last one I promise ) Wipe down door handles and frames- this is best to do if oyu or someone you live with is sick or has been sick. It removes germs from the surfaces that we most frequently touch so that they cannot be spread to others.

Overall, just be considerate of others. No one likes to be sick so keep that in mind, and if you do become sick and need more information or would like a check up then stop on by our Wellness Center on campus. Good luck in school everyone, stay healthy!!!!