The days are getting colder, and the sun is starting to hide. I can already see the frost in the morning on my car. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the cold weather that makes you sick. It is the bugs and germs that float in the air. If they come into contact with your mouth, nose, or eyes and meet a weak immune system, that is a recipe for flu season. Keep yourself from getting sick this season with these easy tips!

KEEP WARM EARLY

Even though the cold does not give you a cold, it’s much better to keep warm. Early October and even into November it might not feel as cold so you may still want to go outside without a scarf or a hat, but please go into the closet and take them out ASAP. You may want to switch up your clothing habits and start layering with tank tops under sweaters.

* Tip. For members of the short club and the itty-bitty-titty-committee, high waisted jeans are very flattering on our body types. Undershirts can make your mid section look bunched and can be a hassle to remove when you need to go to the bathroom. You can get away with wearing a sports bra rather than a full undershirt to keep warm. I do it all the time.

BALANCED DIET

A big part of getting sick is a weakened immune system. Give your body the proper vitamins it needs to keep your system strong and help you fight off viruses. This could mean one-a-day vitamins, taking cod liver oil, drinking orange juice. Try eating apples, berries, and dark fruits and veggies. If you’re lazy like me, you can juice them and take it with you on the go!

*Tip: seasonal foods help you fight off bacteria in that season so head to your farmer’s market and pick up some fresh items for your dinner table!

SPICE IT UP

Did you know that people who eat spices are less likely to get sick? You don’t need to drink spice soup but a little bit on your every meal will give you added benefits from the herbs and spices you’re consuming. Spices have their own natural properties that benefit the body in numerous ways. Everything from antioxidants, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties and more! Check out a few Indian Spices that help keep you healthy!

SANITIZE THE THINGS YOU TOUCH

Bacteria is actually good for your immune system. When you use anti-bacterial products on your hands for example, you are killing the microbes your body needs to fight off the bad ones. You might want to cut back on that. On the other hand, we touch a lot of objects on a daily basis. That includes your laptop, door handles, light switches, your phone. Just think about it. Your phone goes with you to the bathroom, falls on the floor and you just pick it up, then itch your face. That is spreading bacteria that is not housed in your body so you want to get rid of those.

DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE

The easiest way to get sick is if foreign bacteria comes into contact with exposed parts of your body. This means your mouth, nose, eyes, open cuts and so forth. As mentioned before, you hands touch a lot of things during the day so keep your hands away from your face to avoid ingesting these bugs internally.

SLEEP

This is by far my favourite method because it requires no effort at all! The nights will soon get long and the days will shorten making it easy to loose track of time especially when you are stuck indoors studying. In the Spring, you can see when the night comes on because there is an obvious change in the sky, but in the fall and winter, the sky is not the best indication of time as sunset is much earlier.

See… 10 Ways To Get A Better Night Sleep

Make a schedule for yourself and keep track of when you need to stop what you’re doing and get some rest. At around 10 PM is a good time to start winding down for bed. If all else, try to go to bed before 12 AM because that is when the body’s hormones are released, repair the body and so forth.