{"id":691,"date":"2025-01-16T09:58:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T09:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/?p=691"},"modified":"2025-01-16T11:09:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T11:09:35","slug":"stay-healthy-this-winter-5-essential-tips-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/2025\/01\/16\/stay-healthy-this-winter-5-essential-tips-for-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay Healthy This Winter: 5 Essential Tips for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the cold weather taking a firm grip now, it\u2019s becoming increasingly harder to avoid those winter illnesses <\/span>that circulate<\/span> this time of year. You\u2019ll be <\/span>very lucky<\/span> if you manage to dodge them completely. Go on the internet and you will find plenty of advice about staying healthy over winter, everything from taking cold showers to hot saunas. But here are a few easy tips to help you keep as healthy as possible this winter, without going to extremes. <\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Boost Your Vitamin Supply<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Try to eat a healthy diet with food rich in vitamins. In particular, this time of year you need to eat plenty of : <\/span><\/p>\n

-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vitamin A:<\/strong><\/em> found in cheese, eggs, fish, yellow fruits, and yellow and red vegetables, great for boosting your auto-immune system. <\/span><\/p>\n

-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vitamin C:<\/strong> <\/em>found in citrus fruits, berries <\/span>and<\/span> vegetables, protects your cells and maintains healthy skin, bones <\/span>and<\/span> cartilage. <\/span><\/p>\n

-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vitamin E:<\/strong><\/em> found in plant oils, nuts, seeds <\/span>and<\/span> wheatgerm, strengthens your body\u2019s <\/span>natural<\/span> defences against illness and infection.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you find yourself going down with lots of coughs and colds, it might be worth talking to a pharmacist about taking extra vitamin supplements. You can find pharmacists at any pharmacy where prescriptions are dispensed (such as Boots in Bath), they are professionally trained to help treat and prevent minor ailments.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Get outside<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it\u2019s cold and wet outside it\u2019s particularly tempting to stay indoors. However, that\u2019s not the best <\/span>thing<\/span> for your physical or mental health. Your body needs vitamin D to keep your bones, teeth <\/span>and<\/span> muscles healthy. Although vitamin D is found in a small number of foods like oily fish, red meat <\/span>and<\/span> egg yolks, <\/span>by far<\/span> the best way to get vitamin D is through sunlight on the skin. Even then, during the winter months, most people will struggle to get enough. So, the Government advises taking a daily vitamin D supplement between October and March.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of sunlight has also been linked to a condition called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Symptoms of SAD include a persistent low mood, difficulty concentrating, feeling lethargic or sleepy during the day <\/span>and<\/span> irritability. So getting outside as much as possible is essential. <\/span>Try to<\/span> invest in warm waterproof clothes and take a short walk outside every day, regardless of the weather. Sit near a window where possible and if you are <\/span>really<\/span> struggling invest in a SAD lamp.<\/span><\/p>\n

People who are used to living in climates where there are more hours of sunlight in the winter are particularly susceptible to SAD and vitamin D deficiency. <\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Exercise and stay active<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Exercising helps the body to adapt to seasonal changes, and helps mental health by increasing endorphins and decreasing stress hormones like cortisol. It doesn\u2019t matter if you exercise indoors or outdoors, you get benefits from both. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that exercising in the cold builds more resilience to colds and infections, it also burns off more calories and can lead to stronger respiratory muscles. Providing you don\u2019t have asthma or any other serious medical condition, running outdoors in the winter can be hugely beneficial. <\/span><\/p>\n

If exercising outside is your thing or you are a complete beginner and want to try it, then the <\/span>Bath Skyline Park Run<\/span><\/a> comes highly recommended. This is a 5km course overlooking Bath which you can walk, run or jog. It takes place every Saturday, is completely free <\/span>and<\/span> starts very close to the\u00a0<\/span>University entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If being outside longer at this time of year is too much to bear for you, then you can exercise indoors. Don\u2019t forget that you can use your free <\/span>Student Sports pass<\/span><\/a> to get access to the swimming pool, tennis <\/span>and<\/span> badminton <\/span>courts\u00a0 in<\/span> the STV and there are a variety of exercise classes <\/span>on<\/span> at reduced rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Dress warmly<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is a saying in Scandinavian countries that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Keeping warm is essential during the winter. <\/span>Too cold <\/span>and<\/span> your body finds it harder to fight <\/span>off<\/span> viruses; too hot and you can easily become dehydrated (especially in centrally heated rooms).<\/span> The key to maintaining an even warm temperature is layers. Big warm coats are great <\/span>for<\/span> when the weather is <\/span>really<\/span> icy, but often too hot for indoors. How <\/span>often<\/span> have you put on a big coat on a cold morning and then found <\/span>you are<\/span> sweltering as soon as you get into a lecture theatre, but too cold if you take it off?\u00a0 If you are darting in and out of buildings, it is much better to have several layers that you can adjust accordingly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, don\u2019t neglect your footwear. Make sure it\u2019s completely waterproof, as spending all day with wet feet is not only not fun but also bad for your toes and your body temperature. When it\u2019s icy make sure your shoes have a good grip too. The hills around Bath can get very slippery!<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you haven\u2019t got the right gear, there are plenty of shops that <\/span>specialise<\/span> in winter clothing. However, if you want to save a lot of money, it\u2019s worth checking out the charity shops in Bath. <\/span>A large number of<\/span> students donate good quality winter clothes to the charity shops in Bath when they leave in the summer \u2013 you can pick up some excellent bargains if you shop around!<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Stay hydrated<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

With all the rain in winter, you can be forgiven for not wanting any more water! In summer, we are all very good at <\/span>making sure<\/span> we drink enough, but not so in winter. Keeping your body hydrated throughout the year is essential. In winter our bodies can easily become dehydrated without us noticing \u2013 warm clothing can make us over hot and centrally heated buildings don\u2019t help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t fancy water on its own? Then hot water with lemon, herbal teas <\/span>or<\/span> hot squashes can be an excellent alternative this time of year. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you do find yourself succumbing to those pesky winter bugs, then it is vital to keep your fluids up. Your body will recover much quicker if you drink plenty. <\/span><\/p>\n

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And finally\u2026.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Winter colds are quite common in the UK and unless you develop a chest infection or become really ill, doctors are unlikely to prescribe you antibiotics, no matter how bad you feel. If you do get ill, it is likely to last for about a week. Drink plenty of water, keep yourself warm <\/span>and<\/span> seek advice on self-medication from a pharmacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the cold weather taking a firm grip now, it\u2019s becoming increasingly harder to avoid those winter illnesses that circulate this time of year. You\u2019ll be very lucky if you manage to dodge them completely. Go on the internet and...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1987,"featured_media":692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,7],"tags":[12,26,15,20,10],"class_list":["post-691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-the-uk","category-wellbeing","tag-bath","tag-lifeintheuk","tag-living","tag-tips","tag-wellbeing"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/144\/2025\/01\/winter-health.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd4PsN-b9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1987"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/be-well\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}