As the leaves begin changing color and falling off the trees so do the amount of students who attend classes. With the shift in the weather it is that time of year again where more students become susceptible to catching a cold. With finals coming up, it’s important to stay healthy and keep that strength up. Check out a few tips to stay healthy and ready to enjoy a New York fall.

Wash your hands. This could be obvious since it is New York but the most common way to get sick is by touching public surfaces that others have touched. Between the various New School buildings and all those long elevator rides (in 16th street) with lots of people getting in and out make sure to keep hand sanitizer close by and wash your hands.

Eat healthy. With finals here, it’s easy to lose sleep and eat lots of junk food to keep the brain working late at night. However there is nothing better for your immune system than fruits and vegetables. Make sure to have a good representation of colored fruits and veggies. The University Center cafeteria has added lots of fall and winter veggies so make sure to taste them. And year round there is always fruit in the dining hall so grab a piece of fruit for the road.

Sleep & relax! It’s really common with finals to stay up all night but try and avoid it. The human body needs sleep to protect the immune system. If the choice is going out for a few hours with friends, studying and sleep take sleep. A 2009 Carnegie Mellon study found that anything less than seven hours will almost triple your odds of catching a cold. This does not include power naps in the middle of the afternoon. Make sure to also take some time to relax and unwind from those crazy study sessions in the UC for hours on end.

Exercise is key! Even though it’s cold outside keep going outside and working out. It’s a common misconception that the cold air will make you sick. Going outside does just the opposite by allowing the body to become familiar with the weather outside and not just in a overheated classroom! Exercise is also great for the brain. Even if you are not in housing the gym facilities in Kerrey Hall are open for all students.

Get a flu shot. The sound of a shot might not be the best thing but it will help fight getting a cold. The New School student health services offers flu shots. It might not always keep the flu away but it will help diminish the chances of catching a cold. Go visit them on the third floor of 80th Fifth Ave. or check out their website.

Illustrations by Alex Gilbeaux