Disclosure: This post is the result of a compensated partnership with Vicks. 100% of the opinions in this blog post are my own.

January 1^st arrived just as I had hoped it would, I was surrounded with my family and friends and had a wonderful night celebrating the kick-off to the New Year!   I always start the New Year off with a renewed health and fitness routine. I started running on January 1^st and started eating fresh and healthy foods. It felt good. I felt fit. I felt healthy. Perfect way to kick-off January!

But as it goes with the winter months, avoiding the nasty and horrible cough, cold and flu season is difficult, especially since we are officially in it. According to IMS FAN Reports: Over 45 Million Americans are suffering from the outbreak.

45 million. That’s a pretty big number and I was just about to be part of that statistic.

I traveled to Las Vegas for Consumer Electronics Show CES January 5^th-8^th… I hardly slept, I was working around the clock and I sat next to someone on the flight out there who coughed and sneezed the whole entire way.

Guess who got hit with a massive cold as soon as I returned home from Vegas?

Yes, me.

It was horrible. I had the worst cough. I had a horrible sore throat. I was congested, my ears were blocked up and it literally hurt to talk. I had to sleep sitting up because I was so congested. My head hurt. My body hurt. Everything hurt.

My only relief was Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe.

I surrounded myself with these essentials for 4 days!

Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe provided amazing relief for me from my cold symptoms throughout the day and night. Since I’m a mom of 5, I wasn’t able to lay in bed all day and just rest. I had a family to tend to and make sure everyone was OK. Since the boys are a little older, they were able to let me out around the house, but my daughter – she’s 18 months. She doesn’t get the whole, “Mom is sick, please let me have a day.” My husband works throughout the day, so it was tough not having him home to help out, so my back-up was Vicks DayQuil. At night, I needed to sleep and have some relief, so NyQuil Severe was my saving grace. They helped me power through my days and get the rest I needed at night.

No surprise to me… Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe voted Best New Cough & Cold Remedy by consumers in the 2015 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Awards.

Believe me, they have my vote.

For me now, it’s all about doing everything I can to keep myself healthy throughout the rest of the cough/cold and flu season. I don’t want to be sidelined again and I certainly don’t want to be that sick again!

Vicks has partnered with Nurse Practitioner Barb Dehn to share some great tips for how to stay healthy throughout the flu season. Her advice is wonderful and so smart and something for all of us to remember and stick to through the next months.

Here are Barb Dehn’s top tips:

• Know the signs. You are most contagious in the first 24 hours when your symptoms are at their worst. If you have two or more of these symptoms, stay home to rest: fever over 101^o F, cough, sore throat, running nose, headache, body aches, chills, or fatigue.

• Avoid germs at work. Watch out for these germ-ridden places at the office: the sink in the break room, the office microwave, and doorknobs. Keep antiseptic wipes with you and remember to wash your hands frequently.

• Say no to stress. Stress can influence the symptoms of cold, cough and flu by interfering with how the immune system functions. To keep your immune system strong, make sure to get plenty of rest and sleep all the time, not just when you’re sick.

• Elevate the head of the bed. Place a pillow under your mattress to raise the upper body from the waist up. This allows blood to flow away from the head and reduce inflammation of the air passages. Using extra pillows can also ease body aches by taking the pressure off hips, knees and back.

• Take a hot shower before bed. Steam and humidity can cause sinuses to drain and relieve stuffiness from a cold. It can also help you to relax, and ease chills, aches and fatigue. Put your towel and/or bathrobe in the dryer so that you don’t feel chilled when you get out, and make sure the room is nice and warm.

• Sleep on a schedule. Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule. Plus, avoid stimulating beverages like caffeinated coffee or alcohol before going to sleep, as well as bright light from the screens on your phone, TV or other electronic devices.

• Watch out for the “man flu.” Men can be more susceptible to catching a cold or flu, and can be affected by more severe symptoms. Be prepared with the toughest cold and flu fighting remedies to keep you feeling well even if you do get sick.

• Try tea. Drinking an herbal tea such as chamomile, passionflower or other soothing teas before bed can help you relax while also getting helpful fluids into your system.

• Take a multi-symptom medication. My patients want fast, effective relief to help them get back to their busy lives. Look for a medication that can treat the toughest symptoms while also helping you rest. DayQuil Severe and NyQuil Severe fight your worst cold & flu symptoms so you can power through symptoms during the day, and get the rest you need at night to get back to being you.

It’s important to do what you can to keep yourself healthy for you and your family. If you happen to get hit with a cold/flu throughout the season, definitely make sure you try Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe to help you through.