Healthy Stuff We Heart

6 ways to skip the back-to-school sniffles

It seems like everyone gets sick during the first few weeks of school. All those teachers and students are comin’ together after a nice summer of picking up who-knows-what-kindsa germs, so catching a cold is pretty much unavoidable. Or is it? Use these six tricks to avoid taking a sick day when you haven’t even gotten sick of school yet.



Back to Basics

Everyone knows that you’re supposed to wash your hands after you use the bathroom, right? Unfortunately, not everyone seems to follow that rule. And what’s worse is that very few people use soap when washing their hands – eep! So no matter how little time you have, make sure you’re washing with warm water and soap every time you leave the bathroom.


Wash Well From the Inside Out

If you’re stayin’ hydrated, you have less chance of getting sick. Drinking lots of water will help your bod flush out any toxins, so make sure you’re gettin’ in those eight glasses each day. And if it makes you stop off at the bathroom a li’l more, then you just get more chances to wash your hands!


Be a (Little) Selfish

Sure, sharing is nice and all, but not when it involves germs (which it almost always does). Food, makeup and even pens can get you into trouble, so it’s best to keep that stuff to yourself. Unless you’re gonna hurt someone’s feelings, try to avoid lending your stuff out. And make sure you always bring enough so that you’re not asking to borrow other people’s things either.


Beware the Hot Spots

There are certain places in a school where germs just love hangin’ out. Specifically, water fountains and lunch trays. So if ya can, use your own water bottle. And don’t eat stuff directly off your tray if you can help it. Try to wash your hands after touching things lots of other kids probably handled, like doorknobs and desktops.


Time Saver

So you don’t have time to run to the bathroom between every class to wash your hands – that’s totally okay. Just stick a little container of hand sanitizer in your purse so you can fight off the worst of the germies.


Healthy Munchies

If ya want your bod to stay healthy, you’ve gotta give it a li’l extra help with foods that’ll boost your immune system. Yogurt, for example, will up your white blood cell count to fight the flu. And the best way to avoid the common cold is to increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is found in lots of fruits and veggies, like kiwi, strawberries, leafy greens, red bell peppers, and citrus fruits.  Orange juice, anyone?


So babes, how do you stay healthy when a bug is goin’ around your school?

BY CARRIE RUPPERT ON 9/5/2012 12:00:00 AM

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