“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” -Buddha

Is it just me…or are a lot of people getting sick? That’s right, people, flu season is in full swing right now!

In fact, I was very fortunate to get the flu two weeks ago (I hope you sense my sarcasm. It was not a fortunate thing at all). And the best part is I’m still recovering from it. I guess you can say that my immune system took a beating.

I’m recovering from my flu, but worse than that, I’m recovering from all of the work I missed when I was absent. It seems like piles and piles of missed assignments created a mountain of added stress for me.

I don’t want any of you to go through this, especially with finals quickly approaching. This is why it’s so important to take care of your body and stay healthy!

Here are some tips to keep your body happy and healthy:

1. Be sure to get lots of sleep. This is probably the most important thing for you to do to keep the sickness away.

2. Wash your hands, and don’t touch your face. Germs can spread quickly, and 80% of contagious diseases are contracted through touch.

3. Exercise aerobically (get that heart rate up). Better circulation strengthens virus-killing cells.

4. Don’t drink from the same cup or eat from the same utensils as your friends. Sharing school supplies like pens, pencils, and ear buds is off-limits, too. Germs are contagious even before symptoms develop, so your seemingly healthy friend may actually be teeming with sick germs. Ew!

5. This may seem simple, but eat dark green, yellow and red fruit and vegetables. Broccoli, strawberries and bananas are packed with natural germ-fighting goodness!

Take note that these tips are not guaranteed to keep the sickness away, but they’ll help.

Treat your body with care, and it will care for you.