Happy New Year!! Resolutions established, time spent with loved ones & bam! Cue the flu! That’s right, starting off a whole new year and I get sick within the first 3 days.

Now I understand that there are many ways that people deal with being sick, but my go-to was to take a lot of Buckley’s and sleep all day. Well, being a new Mom who’s breastfeeding, these two things were not my go-to anymore.

Welcome the home remedies!!! Now, I did all of these things, including the grossness of #8, as I wanted to get better ASAP! After all, I did not want to get our 4 month old baby girl sick along with me!

1. Sleep
Yes, it was possible even though our little angel kept me busy. I simply went back to the ‘original’ rule of “sleep when she sleeps.” Every little bit helped!

2. Drink lots of fluids
Since my illness was above my chest, my wonderful mother-in-law suggested to ‘feed’ the sickness to help it go away. So down-the-hatch went:
– apple juice
– orange juice
– water
– hot water with lime & a pinch of salt (yes this one was gross, but effective)
– lemon ginger tea
– peppermint tea
– blackberry, cherry & pomegranate juice
– carrot, grapefruit, ginger & turmeric fresh pressed juice

Now this last drink was my favourite! The ginger & turmeric are great for kicking the common cold and relieving runny noses. Also, the grapefruit added a nice sweetness to the drink so it was surprisingly delicious!
(Note: my drinks of choice were either herbal or high in nutrients)

3. Chicken Noodle Soup
It’s no secret that chicken noodle soup is the food of choice when you’re not feeling well. There’s just something about that broth….

4. Vitamin C supplement
Vitamin C is a great nutrient to help fight colds while boosting the immune system, so why not amp up the power of this water-soluble vitamin.

5. Hot bath with Epsom salts
Chance to ‘sweat it out’ + benefit of magnesium = very relaxing + feeling better

6. Breathe in steam
I put boiling water in a bowl, held my head directly above the bowl, then covered my head & the bowl with a towel & breathed in the vapour. Now, I added 5 eucalyptus oil drops for the added benefit of its antibacterial properties & ability to stimulate the immune system. If you choose to do the same, I recommend closing your eyes during the process as the eucalyptus oil made my eyes feel like they were burning when I left them open.

7. Cold cloth on face
I did this while I was sleeping. It provided relief to my nasal passages and diminished any chance of me getting a fever.

8. Onion & brown sugar concoction
I can thank my mother-in-law for this one! I diced an onion & covered it with brown sugar, then sandwiched this concoction between two dinner plates. Just to cut down on the smell, I covered the whole thing in tin foil. The trick was to leave this overnight or until a brown syrup developed and you guessed it: drink the syrup! Doesn’t taste the greatest but extremely effective!

9. Vicks Vaporizer
This was a quick and easy one to do & helped to add some humidity back into the air. After all, it’s the winter & the air gets very dry which allowed my nose to dry out & welcome the bacteria. Also, I love this brand! Vicks works well & smells amazing!

10. Have a good support system
Cheesy but true! Having my husband around to help out with daily tasks, like cleaning and taking care of our baby girl, took the stress out of being sick. I was able to relax and focus on getting better.

Speaking of getting better, I am now! I have my energy back & couldn’t feel better! It took me 4 days to have my last sneeze & feel 100%. However, it took me 5 days to get back into my fitness regime. I didn’t want to over-do-it too soon and send myself back into ‘sick land.’

I hope that you skip the flu/cold this winter, but if not, I hope these remedies help get you back to health!

**Disclaimer: always consult your doctor if you’re not feeling well as to what the best course of action should be for you**