Healthy Habits for the Busy Lifestyle

It’s that time of year again, when all you can hear is coughing in your large lecture class or the sneezing coming from half the cubes in your office. Everyone is getting sick and you know it’s only a matter of time until you've caught it too. While getting a cold is sometimes unavoidable, there are some preventative measures you can take. Here are some simply and realistic ways to stay healthy while juggling that buys schedule.

• Increase your iron. Not getting enough iron in your diet can lead to tiredness and even depression. Fight fatigue by increasing iron-rich food into your diet like oatmeal, spinach and lean meats.
• Smoothies on-the-go. Maximum fruits and vitamins to boost your immune system with minimum effort. Simply divide foods like berries, bananas, and other fruits into several Ziploc bags and pop them in the freezer.  When you’re ready, just put the frozen ingredients in a blender with yogurt or milk and you've got a quick and health meal.
• Hydrate. Staying hydrated might be the easiest and most effective way to stay healthy. Drinking plenty of water keeps you feeling energized and focused, and can be a great alternative to coffee believe it or not! It even helps keep colds at bay. Bring a reusable water bottle with you throughout the day to help remind you to stay hydrated.
• Vitamin C. Even with all these vitamins, if you still feel yourself starting to sick, up your intake of vitamin C. It’s as simple as a glass of orange juice with breakfast or Emergen-C, a powered vitamin supplement, mixed some hot water in lieu of your morning tea.

Although it may seem like the most difficult, the best way to ward off sickness is sleep! Those all-nighters and early morning classes are cutting into your sleeping time, lowering your immune system and making you more susceptible to illness. Making time for a little extra sleep now will keep you from having to take a whole day off to recover later.