It's cold out today and I can really feel it in my bones. Since that warm spell two weeks before Christmas where I found myself sitting on my back deck, I feel that we've been in a gloomy season. Little to no sun and damp makes it hard to get my enthusiasm together and head outdoors to exercise and walk the dog. Add a slight head cold to the mix and I've found the perfect formula for keeping myself indoors and not getting much accomplished. On a more promising note, it is bright and sunny this morning.
I have all kinds of things I think I'm going to do when I am driving the car or in the shower. I make 'plans' that a lot of times I forget about or just don't follow through on. It's my nature to be a procrastinator. I wrote yesterday about some of those plans that are now actually down on 'paper' as it were. Nothing trips me up more than a cold though.
This current cold is a gift from my Dad who shared it not only with me but with my Mother as well. Thanks Dad. I'm pretty sure I picked it up not when I drove the two of them home from my sister's after Christmas but when I helped him with some tasks on his computer. I touched the keyboard - kiss of death. Family colds are the worst as you see them move through the ranks and headed your way and there's little you can do to stop it.
This cold is mostly a head cold - congestion and sneezing and a general tiredness. It's not serious and shouldn't keep me from going about my normal routine. I hate being sick at all and have found through the years several 'curatives' that I have no scientific data to prove they work except for my own personal experience.
Sore throat with a cough? I mix equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar together and take it a spoonful at a time. If I have a serious, painful cough that wakes me up in the night I keep it right beside my bed. Not only does it make my throat feel better but I'm convinced the vinegar is a germ killer. In fact, the other night I mixed it up and after a spoonful or two I felt better within an hour.
Tired? Aspirin (or Tylenol). Just two aspirin really pick me up and while I'm not 100% it helps me with my get up and go. Remember, I'm not a doctor, so if you decide to follow what I do to cure myself, read ALL the instructions/directions on the bottle and consult your own physician.
I drink a lot of hot chocolate when I'm not feeling well. The hot beverage keeps me breathing, soothes my throat and I'm pretty sure chocolate is making me feel better. Chocolate is the answer to a lot of my issues. Hot chocolate is my go to when I don't feel well.
Pineapple juice is my cold beverage since I heard that it acts as a cough suppressant and kills cold germs (and bonus, keeps you regular!). I don't know that it actually makes me feel better yet, but it does taste good. I don't normally drink juice since most of it is pumped full of sugar, but I make an exception when I don't feel well.
Finally, and the hardest one to do, exercise if it's just a general cold is important. There's something about bouncing around as you walk or run that loosens things up and keeps you breathing and breathing always makes you feel good. If you're a swimmer, go ahead and hop in the pool and swim. Go running or go biking if those suit your style, or if you're like me, head out for a decent walk with the dog. Don't sit on the couch and start working on your next blog post.......
Yesterday I forced Alby and I out the door to a romp in the park (the undeveloped side of Blandair). Yes, it was gloomy, and yes I was congested, but I felt a million times better when I got home. I heard several of you coughing through "Star Wars" last night at the Snowden UA theater. If you're reading this now, hopefully some of this will help you and may the force be with you.
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