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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Nothing will ruin a good day like a terrible headache -- it's especially annoying to wake up and have to start your day with a throbbing skull. Often these types of headaches are the result of muscle strain from sleeping in a funny position. This very common type of head pain, which occurs because of muscle-or eye-strain, stress or being overly tired, is called a tension headache.

There are other varieties of headaches though, and these include sinus headaches, which usually accompany a cold and can be felt at the front of the head, the ice-pick headache, which comes on fast, is localized to one area and only lasts 20 or 30 minutes and the granddaddy of them all -- the migraine. Migraine pain can be severe and affect work and home life. Lasting from a few hours to a few days, those who suffer from migraines may also experience nausea and blurred vision.

If you suffer from any of these headache varieties learn ways to prevent and treat them here.

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Seasonal allergies can sideline you better than an actual illness if you let them go untreated, but all too often the treatment comes along with side-effects that are arguably as bad as or even worse than the original symptoms. Some people swear that exercise helps gets things moving (like sinuses), but for some it only makes things worse.

If you're one of those where it seems to make things worse, are you exercising outdoors? If you already have allergies then huffing and puffing and breathing the irritants even deeper into your lungs is obviously going to not going to make things better for you. So try working out indoors (if you haven't already). Depending on the severity of your allergies, it could make all the difference. I know some people who have allergies that are just as bad inside as out, but it's worth a shot! Switching indoors (I know, it stinks to be stuck inside this time of year) does work for some people.

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Postnasal drip is a singers worst nightmare. While touring the US, different regions flare up my sinus and allergy problems and I have to pay close attention to when the "drip" starts so I can kick it in the butt before it attacks my respiratory system. One of the first things I pack when I go on tour is a small humidifier. I have a travel one that I can put different scents in like lavender that also helps me sleep. This keeps the air moist and keeps my sinuses from drying out. I make a salt water mixture that I can gargle with and flush out my nose with. The recipe for this mixture is a half teaspoon of salt in about 8 ounces of warm water. I use it to gargle with or to pull up into an aspirator such as an eye dropper and put the tip into your nose while you tilt your head back.

Always remember to gently blow your nose because blowing your nose hard will only result in blowing some of the "drip" back into your throat and sinus cavities. When I start feeling that "drip" coming I also stop drinking milk and eating dairy products and start drinking hot teas with lemon and honey. Since I am a natural remedy person as much as possible, I avoid nasal decongestants, nose drops, etc. because in the long run, they will cause you more trouble than they are worth. Drink lots of purified water to keep your system hydrated and cleansed. Believe it or not stress can also create sinus and postnasal drip problems so learn to relax more often to stay away from "the drip".

The flu and the cold are so similar, yet so different at the same time. Many of the same methods for avoiding the flu will also help you avoid a cold, but not the single biggest flu-fighter we have -- the flu shot. There is no "shot" for the common cold, and although you can get the flu more than once in a season most people don't. Now colds are another story, with many people getting cold after cold after cold until the warm weather finally hits and they get some relief.

So with all this talk lately of avoiding the flu, don't forget to do what you can to save yourself a cold or two also. See this article for some handy home remedies that just may save you a few boxes of Puffs Plus.

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