The common cold. Ugh. Even typing the words leaves me feeling a bit drained. When my son got home from school last Friday, he gave me a hug and said, "Mom, you feel warm." Sure enough ... a few hours later, I was spiking a 101.6 temperature. The next two days, I was practically glued to the couch and was starting to feel like a real slug. And it made me wonder: How much of a damper does the common cold really have to put on your fitness routine?

Fitness expert Chris Freytag recommends doing the "neck check." If your symptoms are limited to the neck or above -- such as a stuffy nose or a sore throat -- you're likely OK to exercise. In fact, gentle exercise may help unclog your sinuses a bit, and the circulation boost will help fight the fatigue symptoms. If you're having symptoms below the neck -- such as chills or stomach problems -- you should probably stick to rest.

Knowing how I felt this weekend, I wasn't about to do anything strenuous. But today, when I was feeling a bit better but still far from 100 percent, I got up and followed a portion of my typical fitness routine. I wasn't able to finish it, but even doing a bit of it made me feel better. If a cold has you down, listen to your body -- if it's calling for rest, give it what it needs. But don't forgo fitness entirely -- even a little bit can make you feel more like your healthy self.

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Most of the time, old sayings and home remedies have some kind of proven validity. But according to scientists and doctors, the saying "starve a cold and feed a fever" is just a bunch of bologne.

There was one study, done back in 2002 by Dutch researchers, that suggested eating a meal could boost the immune response necessary for battling a cold, while fasting helped the body fight most causes of fever. But the problem is that the study was very limited and small, and hasn't been duplicated since. Doctors insist the only way to fight both colds and the flu is to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids.

But have there been any studies on the benefits of chicken noodle soup?

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