If you find yourself in a place that has a lot of smokers, try to find areas where there is less smoke. Many public places have designated smoke-free areas, so you should seek these out. Sometimes people smoke in places they shouldn't, like restaurants or bars where smoking has been banned. In these cases, it's appropriate to ask an authority figure -- a restaurant manager or police officer, for instance -- to tell the smoker to stop. If you cannot get away from smokers, try to place yourself upwind of them. This will not completely protect you from secondhand smoke, but it can help you to breathe in less than you would if the wind were blowing the smoke towards you. When walking past smokers in public spaces, try to move past them as quickly as you can. This will help limit your exposure to secondhand smoke. Cigarette smoke is harmful to people's immune systems. If you're around smokers and cannot get away, do your best to stay hydrated. Keeping hydrated will help your immune system to stay active in spite of the smoke. If you know you're going to be in a smoky environment for a while, bring a water bottle with you. You should do your best to get plenty of vitamin C if you're around smokers. Like staying hydrated, vitamin C helps promote a healthy immune system. You can get vitamin C from foods like oranges and strawberries or from vitamin supplement pills, which you can usually find in any drug or grocery store.

Summary: Find smoke-free areas. Report smokers in appropriate situations. Stand upwind of smokers. Walk past smokers quickly. Stay hydrated. Get plenty of vitamin C.

This will make sure your body has enough energy and strength to train. Cheerleading is a very physical sport that requires a lot of endurance. Therefore, a diet high in carbohydrates, protein, fruits, and vegetables is important. Make sure each meal contains healthy, complex carbohydrates. Your body needs carbs for energy, so eat things like oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and other nutrient-rich carbs. Get some fruits and vegetables in with every meal. Have a side salad with lunch. Add some fruit to your morning cereal. Snack on assorted vegetables or fruits between meals. Go for lean sources of protein like low-fat dairy, poultry, and fish. A lot of people think cheerleaders do not eat a lot. This is not the case. If you're going to be working out in preparing for tryouts, a lot of healthy food is necessary for energy. Do not try to restrict your diet too much. Cheerleading requires a lot of endurance, as you'll be moving and cheering throughout each game. Focus on physical activities that strengthen endurance. Running or biking can help build endurance. If you have a gym membership, or if there is a gym at your school, try riding the elliptical machine, a stationary bike, a treadmill, or the stair master. Strive to keep your heart rate up throughout the workout. Push yourself a little more each week to add length to your workout. Remember, start slow. If you haven't worked out in awhile, you may want to stick to 15 or 20 minute sets and build up from there. There will be a lot of jumps, kicks, and different body positions during your routine. Therefore, flexibility is key. Engage in activities that help build your flexibility if you want to become a cheerleader. Yoga is a great way to build flexibility. You can take a yoga class at a gym, community center, or your school. You can also find yoga routines online. In addition to helping you be a better cheerleader, flexibility will help prevent injury during training. Your muscles will be more bendable overall. Cheerleaders need to be strong. You'll be working long hours at practice and during competitions/ games. Also, there may be cheers where you're required to lift another player. Incorporate weight training into your regular fitness regimen. Aim to weight train 2 to 3 times a week. Make sure not to weight train two days in a row, as this can cause strain. You can use weights or a weight machine at the gym. You can also do things like push ups, sit ups, and Pilates, which use your own body as a weight. If you do make the team, you will probably need to cut back on weight training during cheer season. You'll be doing a lot of weight training just during practice, and too much weight training can cause injury. You will need to be able to belt out cheers during games. Therefore, you should train your voice in addition to your body. Breathe correctly. Your breathing affects how your voice sounds. Do not take shallow breaths. Take big, deep breaths that fill your lungs with as much air as possible. Use energy when you speak. You want to sound enthusiastic. Make sure you're using your cheek muscles as you talk, as this will affect how your voice comes out. When you speak, pull away the muscles inside your throat the same way you do when you yawn. This will cause your voice to sound bigger, without sounding loud or shrill. You should always talk to a doctor before beginning a new training regimen. Over training can cause strain or injury. While you should work hard to become a cheerleader, do not do anything that could cause physical harm. Watch for signs of overtraining. You may feel a sense of heaviness, ongoing soreness in your muscles, lack of appetite, decreased concentration, and tiredness throughout the day. You may also feel an increased desire to skip workouts, as your body is warning you you're overdoing it. If you've been overtraining, talk to your doctor about what you should be doing differently. You should also take a few days off of training to let your body recover.

Summary: Eat a healthy diet. Build your endurance. Be flexible. Weight train. Develop a strong voice. Be careful not to overtrain.

Writing a person's name down is a visual cue that can help increase your recall. When someone tells you their name, immediately take the time to write it down. You can jot it down in a notepad, for instance, or even just a napkin. You may not have time to write the name down right away. Just be sure to stop and take a moment as soon as you can to write down names. Another visual cue that can help you remember later is to make notes about the person under the person's name. Maybe the mentioned their family or where they like to go for coffee. Maybe they mentioned a pastime or a hobby. Jotting these things down can help clue you in later, and serve as a visual reminder. While just looking at a name won't help you remember as well as writing the name, seeing the name can help. When they hand you the card, be sure to study the name for a second to cement it in your brain. Plus, a business card can serve as a reminder later if you forget. Another visual cue you can use is to type their name and number into your phone. Ask them to spell out their name. That way, you're getting the exact spelling, as well as stomping it into your memory. Another option is to have them type it in, so that you get the exact spelling. Then you can look the person up on social media later.
Summary: Jot the person's name down. Write down some notes about the person. Request a business card. Type the name in your phone.