Cold Season

The dreaded winter is coming, which could only mean one thing : Cold season.
It happens every year, slowly creeping up on you, until, one morning you wake up feeling like you hit a brick wall. Congestion, headache, sinus pain, sore throat, cough, phlegm, you name it!

But as we all know, this can be the most inconvenient time to possibly get sick! I can personally tell you that between now and christmas, I am averaging 1 concert a week and 9 rehearsals a week. This is just not the time.

There are a few options on how to prevent a cold, while some may be wives tales or actual complete myths, they can hurt to try right?

First let's cover the basics:

• Make sure you are staying hydrated. This will help flush toxins out of the body and will replenish your body's fluids. 
• Try getting as much vitamin C as possible! This could be tablets, orange juice, fruits and veggies, etc, what ever works best!
• Bundle up. I know I probably sound like your nagging mother who would always tell you to put on an extra sweater, but they wouldn't say these things if they didn't mean it! If you're chilled it can possibly cause you to be more prone to catching a cold!
• WASH YOUR HANDS. okay, so I may be a germ freak as is, but during cold season make sure you wash your hands before you eat. Some colds can even be spread through the nose and the eyes, so before you go poking a finger around, wash your hands! Even when you get in the door after school/work/wherever, it only takes a minute!
• Get some sleep. I know its always harder than it sounds, but getting an extra hour or two will help your body heal and kill that cold!

A few neat tricks:

• Wool socks and vicks - If you place some vicks on the bottom of your feet then layer on top some wool socks, it's been proven to help get rid of colds!
• Honey, Lemon and Hot water -  To some, it will taste disgusting, but to others, maybe not! This concoction is suspicious but works like a charm. The honey coats that throat and the lemon provides a nice splash of vitamin C. 
• Hot Showers - The steam from the hot water will open up the sinuses and the heat will help raise your body temperature to help combat that fever!
• Gargle Salt - Gargling salt with some warm water will help take the edge off that sore throat. It will taste gross, so don't drink it, but gargling will do the trick.

I cannot stress this enough, but please do not sing if you are ill. If your throat is sore, don't push it! It will only cause damage and it will make you feel worse. Being sick takes a lot of energy out of you and you won't have enough to stay concentrated or focused during your lesson/rehearsal/show/etc. 

I hope these tips and tricks were helpful! Stay healthy everyone!

Until next time, 

Tessa