We’re excited to introduce you to Katie, our featured Wellness Blogger for the month of May! Katie’s a 24-year-old food and wellness guru who’s been in the blogging game for almost four years now. She started her blog, Lilveggiepatch.com, to chronicle training for a marathon, and while an injury ultimately sidelined her, she discovered that blogging served as a natural outlet for her love of healthy living and her passion for delicious, nourishing food.

Structured around the meals that she eats throughout the day, Lilveggiepatch is more than just a catalogue of “What I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Rather, it winds up being a daily diary of her recipes, thoughts, friendships, career changes, hopes and aspirations… which just goes to show how central cooking and eating is to life! And as a wellness blogger, Katie has a lot of great tips about how to stay healthy, feel great – and yes, avoid those annoying common colds.

One of Katie’s favorite stay-healthy tips: eating the rainbow. Perhaps it’s not surprising that someone who named their blog “LilVeggiePatch” keeps her fridge stocked with her favorite foods: kale, roasted chickpeas, apples, oranges, and her home-brewed kombucha. Katie says “it’s tempting to graze on toast and ice cream all day, but make sure you’re still getting a lot of vegetables and fruits, too.”

Another way she keeps herself pepped up? By using a tried and true Cold-EEZE trick: keeping the company of a furry friend! She has a 13-year-old miniature black poodle, and loves taking him for walks: “I’m amazed at how much energy he has.  He’s so excited just to be outdoors! The different smells, the trails to blaze, the new friends to meet…and his happiness instantly boosts my mood.”

Her stay-healthy tip for avoiding a cold has three letters: h2O (okay, two letters and one number!) At the first sign of a cold, Katie says, she starts hydrating and doesn’t look back. Last but not least: get some sleep!  She says, “I make sure I get at least 8 hours so my cells can repair themselves overnight and get me well again.” Don’t forget, if these tips don’t seem to do the trick and you fall victim to a common cold, the Cold-EEZE unique zinc gluconate formula will get you feeling better soon!

We hope you enjoyed learning about Katie’s tips for living healthfully. If you’re interested in hearing more of her musings, tips and recipes, check out her blog at Lilveggiepatch.com, or follow her on Twitter!

Cold-EEZE takes home two awards at the 10th Annual Internet Advertising Competition produced by the Web Marketing Association.

In April 2012, Cold-EEZE Cold Remedy was honored with not one, but two awards at the 10th Annual Internet Advertising Competition (IAC). Produced by the Web Marketing Association, the IAC awards highlight outstanding achievements made in online advertising.
Cold-EEZE was awarded for their work on the “Doctor Is In” Facebook Application campaign, winning for the following:

• Best of Industry – Medical Interactive Application
• Best of Industry – Pharmaceuticals Application

The Dr. Is In application was hosted on the Cold-EEZE Facebook Page during the 2011-2012 cold season. A free service, the application allowed Cold-EEZE fans to ask real questions and get real answers from the Cold-EEZE resident physician, Dr. Yael Halaas, MD, about their colds and how to manage them.

The application also included a searchable knowledge base of all questions and answers, serving as valuable resource for the Cold-EEZE Facebook community to stay up to date on ways to get well sooner during cold season.

We’re particularly proud of these awards as they help to validate our commitment to bringing cutting edge resources to the members of the Cold-EEZE community. A special thank you goes to our digital agency, Overdrive Interactive, who designed and developed the application, as well as the team at 5W Public Relations.

The very word “spring” puts a smile on just about anyone’s face. But mention “spring cleaning” and even the most cheerful among us begin to frown. Here at the Cold-EEZE team, we think spring cleaning has gotten a bad rap. As daunting as the task can sound, it’s the best way to spring into the summer season! This way, your warm-weather clothes are at the front of your closet, you’re not surrounded by clutter, and you’re at your healthiest just when you want to be outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather! And of course, we like to do this as healthfully as possible. To make this seemingly monumental task a little more manageable, we’ve put this into a five-step program so that you will be able to manage it a little better. Below, our tips for healthy spring cleaning, Cold-EEZE style!

1. Set a Manageable Goal
Before you even contemplate turning your house upside down, sit back, take a deep breath, and think about what you want to accomplish. Being able to find your shorts? Having everything feel less cluttered? Entertaining in a spic-and-span house? It’s important to set out your goals, so you can create a checklist of how you’ll be able to accomplish them! Next, set up a realistic, manageable schedule that breaks down this goal into smaller tasks on a day-by-day basis. “Cleaning out the fridge” sounds a lot less anxiety-inducing than “completely clean out my entire living space.” Right?

2. Check Out These All-Natural Spring Cleaning Products
Next, make sure that you’re working with the right products. Make sure you have everything you need on hand to tackle even the most intimidating dust, soap scum, or grease. We suggest trying some of these all natural solutions from Real Simple.

3. Tackle That Kitchen
First things first: check your burners and exhaust fan, and clean both of those, as you accrue tiny portions of chemical by-products from the food (particularly meat) that you cook throughout the year. Clear out the areas that see a ton of food action: clean the refrigerator of any products that may be older or going bad, and scrub down the shelves with baking soda… As a last step, run the dishwasher once on empty, with baking soda or vinegar, so that you can really clear it out well!

4. No Dirt in This Bathroom!
Your main enemy in the bathroom is mold, which tends to sprout in humid places and can cause allergic reactions. To make sure that this isn’t the case, first scrub the grout on your bathroom floors. To remove the stubborn hard to reach grime in the corners of your shower, dip a cotton ball in bleach and place one in each corner to sit for 15 minutes. Like magic the grime is gone – no elbow grease needed here! Next, gently wash the shower curtains (just throw into the wash for five minutes on the “gentle” setting); and comb the walls of your bathroom for mold. If you find some mold, however, clean with a solution of 1 cup liquid bleach, and 1 gallon of water. Make sure to wear rubber gloves, and keep the window open!

5. Sleep in the Clean!
Attack the dust bunnies! Dust is the ultimate buildup in bedrooms, it clings to soft fabrics (ahem, curtains, blankets, pillows!). In addition to activating your allergies, dust can lead to cold or allergy-like symptoms. And let’s face it: that does not put anyone in a beach-going mood. So what to do? Strip everything down and send it through the washer. While your fabrics are soaking and tumbling, breakout an old sock as your dust rag – nothing works better to get into hard to reach dusty areas. Lastly, dust bunnies love to hide under the bed – take the time to move your bed from its stagnant state and give a good sweep/vacuum. You might be surprised what you find under there – is that where all the lost socks go?

Tell us, what’s your first step in clearing your clutter and ushering in the summer season?

Spring is in the air… so make the best of that fresh (okay, somewhat pollinated ) air. Here are our favorite tips to help take care of you this season, and ensure that you spring into summer with your head, your heart and your body all feeling their best!

1. Identify Your Symptoms
With a record-breaking allergy season this year, now it’s more important than ever to make sure you’ve got the correct diagnosis before you start treating what ails you. So when you feel a tickle in your throat, try to determine if you’ve got a cold or allergies! See our previous posting on the subject to help figure it out, and don’t forget to see a doctor if the symptoms linger!

2. Spring Clean the Healthy Way
Spring cleaning is a bit of a Catch-22: there are few things more calming than a house free of clutter—and few things more stressful than the prospect of cleaning everything out! So here’s a tip: break down the tasks into manageable projects by setting goals for one afternoon, or one weekend, and in a month or six weeks, you will have made great progress! And check out these tips for ensuring that the cleaning products you’re using are healthy.

3. Get Out! Spend Some Time Outdoors
It turns out that there’s a reason why you feel happier spending tons of time outdoors. Well, actually, there are several reasons. For starters, the increase of light is proven to elevate people’s moods, and research indicates that the exposure to Vitamin D may help prevent everything from cancer to depression to heart attacks. Additionally, those who spend a lot of time outdoors are more likely to get more physical exercise, simply because they’re out and about and enjoying the beautiful weather. So grab your sunscreen, a picnic lunch, a good book or a fun game, and just do it—spend some time outside!

4. Make a Meal with Fresh Farmer’s Veggies!
One of our favorite things about the spring is that the freshness of the vegetables and produce offered just speaks for itself, increasing not only the deliciousness of the meal, but also the health factor—with such vibrant flavors, you don’t need to weigh down your recipes with extra oil or sauce. Here’s one of our favorite simple recipes best enjoyed when the days are getting longer, Spring Salad!

5. Volunteer
Giving back is a great way to spend time outside and have a great time doing it. Just visit the fantastic volunteermatch.org, type in where you are and what kind of activity you’d like to volunteer for, and voila! You’ll be inspired by the range of volunteering opportunities in your area, and will be helping out in no time!

Now that we’ve shared our favorite tips, we want to know your advice for staying healthy, happy and active this spring!

There’s no time like the present for a little spring cleaning. And no, we’re not talking about the dreaded tradition of ridding your house of extraneous clutter, packing away your winter mittens, and breaking out the dust-buster and cleaning fluids—though we’ll cover those next week. No, we’re talking about re-vamping your health routine, when the change of the season makes us want to revel in the fresh flavors in bloom (here’s to eating more veggies) and spend more time moving around outside. Here are five great ways to whip your spring wellness routine into shape.

1. Switch up Your Workout Regimen
There’s nothing like the promise (and yes, threat ) of swimsuit season to whip you into shape! Luckily, there’s really nothing better than spending time outdoors. Why not kill two birds with one stone by enjoying some outdoor time while ramping up your fitness regimen with these tips?

2. Make Sure You’re Getting Your Vitamins!
A recently released report indicates that Americans—especially certain demographics—may not be getting enough key vitamins. Check out this list and make sure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs so that you are looking and feeling your best this spring—not to mention combating some pretty major long-term diseases.

3. Keeping Your Allergies at Bay
To those of you asking, “is it just me, or is this allergy season worse than the last one?”… it’s not just you. In fact, some say that, we’re experiencing a worsened allergy season these days. We already ran a piece on ensuring you don’t mistake your cold for an allergy; How to Tell if You’re Experiencing a Cold or Allergies. Now, make sure that once you’ve identified your allergies, you know how to treat ‘em—with these easy tips!

4. Forging Social Connections for a Longer Life
Here’s a positive health tip: forging positive relationships with people in your life can also improve your longevity. Looking for proof? One famous Yale study found that elderly people who had weak social connections were three times more likely to pass away than those with strong social bonds. The lesson is clear – relationships and intimacy is important to any well-balanced, fulfilled life! So get out there and grab dinner with a pal, hug your family members tighter, and make time to grab lunch with that friend you’ve drifted out of touch with. We promise—it’s easier than the circuit training in tip #1

5. Drink Your Milk!
It’s no secret that milk contains restorative calcium that helps fortify your bones. But did you know that delicious chocolate milk is actually a great recovery beverage? That’s right, if you are an athlete, you can always compliment your favorite sports drink with rich, creamy chocolate milk. It’s that delicious combination of carbohydrates (from the chocolate) and protein (from the milk) that help refuel and rebuild muscle mass, respectively. So drink up – and enjoy!

So, now that we’ve shared our tips, we want to know your favorite tips for staying fit, healthy and happy this spring season?

We’ve spent so long – a whole season, to be precise – waiting for spring. And now that it is here, we couldn’t be happier – but try telling that to our runny noses, watery eyes, and scratchy throats. That’s right, the onset of spring also means spring allergies are back! The overlap between colds and allergies can be a little blurry (especially if you’re sneezing – or coughing all the time!). So, in order to know whether it’s time to pop a Cold-EEZE or an antihistamine you have to know what’s causing your symptoms. We’re here to help out with our springtime Cold-EEZE cheat sheet!

Aches & Pains
Aches and pains may not break your bones, but they sure are uncomfortable. Generally, though, they’re associated with a cold, not allergies.

Fever
If you’re battling cold or allergy symptoms and have a fever on top of this… well, it’s a little complex. Truth be told, fever rarely is a symptom of a cold, but it is a cold symptom more frequently than an allergy symptom! So there’s your clue. But if the symptoms persist or grow more uncomfortable, contact your doctor immediately!

Itchy Eyes
Itchy eyes, on the other hand, are more often associated with allergies than a cold. Time to break out the antihistamines!

Sore Throat
If you find your throat an achin’, that generally means that you have a cold, but sore throats can be present with allergies too. So pay attention to your other symptoms to diagnose the problem—and you know the drill. If it’s a cold you’re combating, pop a Cold-EEZE!

Runny Nose
Another close to call symptom that could go either way. The best way to tell? Check the color – colds often are accompanied by yellow mucus; allergies by clear mucus. Hey, it might sound icky, but you want the correct diagnosis, right?

There you have it – our cheat sheet! Of course, if your symptoms persist, you should make sure to see your physician!

Tell us, what are the ways that you self-diagnose?

This past February—hoping to brighten up our fans’ dark cold-weather days—Cold-EEZE hosted a “Winter Wellness Giveaway” on our Facebook page. The rules were simple: we wanted to know why you or someone you love deserved a spa getaway. Between February 1-21 we awarded daily winners with a $100 AmEx Gift Card. The contest culminated with a Grand Prize winner, who would earn a $2,000 gift certificate from SpaFinder.com; a $1,000 Airline Gift Certificate, and a Wellness Gift Pack.

Our fans’ responses were tremendous, and we loved being able to acknowledge these wonderful entries with the daily prizes. In the end, it was Michael’s selfless entry that captured our Grand Prize. Michael S. wrote in on behalf of his mom, who was recovering from Stage 3 Colon Cancer. He wrote, “She has so many bills that a vacation is in no way possible for her. I believe that this would be a true blessing for our family. She is not only a wonderful Mother but a remarkable woman.” We wanted to introduce you to Michael so everyone could learn his story and get to know him a little better! Please enjoy Michael’s story in his own words below:

Because I like and use the products of Pro Phase Labs, I saw that Cold-EEZE was running a “Winter Wellness Giveaway.” After reading what was possible to win, I immediately thought of my Mom.  I thought that this would lift her spirits! I entered the contest without her knowledge and just told a very quick story of her triumph over colon cancer.

As a sidenote: I would be remiss if I did not mention that March is Colon Cancer awareness Month.  If you are 50 and have not had a colonoscopy, you need to!  If caught in time this is one of the easiest cancers to cure. Life is precious and we have learned this the hard way. A million “thank you’s” to Cold-EEZE for helping a son do something wonderful for his fantastic Mother.

Michael has also agreed to also tell us about the story of how his mom’s spa vacation goes, so stay tuned—we can’t wait to hear about it!
 
In case you wanted to match a face to the contest winner, Michael sent along a photo of his mother and the other “Smith girls.” He adds: “When you get them together… usually quite a bit of fun will be had.”

The Smith Girls

These days, someone’s phone may as well be his or her diary. Peek inside, and it’s likely you’ll be able to find out who their friends are (and thanks to camera-phones, maybe even what they look like!), what they do in their free time, their favorite books, music and games. Not to mention, their interest in health and wellness! Are you not the most app-savvy? Fear not – we’re here to help you out. When it comes to health and wellness, here are the apps that get our vote for keeping you in tip-top shape!

Fooducate
You don’t have to be officially “on a diet” to find this app super-helpful. Fooducate calls attention to the nutritional value of foods that you eat all day, beyond simply tallying up the calories; by scanning the barcode, it will tell you the nutritional values and give it a “grade.” A recent scanning of popular diet soda, for instance, yielded warnings about the artificial sweeteners and industrial caramel coloring – informative! – and suggested a few healthier alternatives. Using this app, we found ourselves creating well-rounded, balanced meals, and soon began naturally gravitating toward healthier foods.

Fitness Buddy
For a comprehensive fitness app, it’s hard to beat Fitness Buddy. Containing over 1,700 exercises, this app is organized into several categories—by muscle, general body area, or equipment. Furthermore, Fitness Buddy offers approximately 1,000 videos and 75 customizable workouts that you can tailor to your specific fitness goals. It even allows you to track your progress over time so you can see just how much closer you’re getting to that six pack!

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
Sleep Cycle Alarm clock is a tiny change in your life—that might make a huge difference in how you feel when you wake up each morning. Simply download and place your iPhone underneath your pillow (yes, it really is that easy!) By measuring your movements, Sleep Cycle is able to gauge what sleep cycle you are in and wake you up when you are sleeping the lightest. What does that mean? You’ll never get that disorienting I-just-woke-up-from-a-deep-slumber feeling, and awaken feeling fresh as a daisy!

My Medical
We all know that feeling—so much health info to keep organized, so little time. Things only get more complicated when there are kids involved, or if you’re responsible for keeping track of your partner’s medical history, too. Luckily, My Medical allows you to organize all your information from health care numbers, to emergency contacts, to doctors’ names; and input your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar to create a digital file cabinet of you and your family’s stats. No more panicky feelings or going through millions of cards at the doctor’s office to ensure the information that is most important to you is kept in one place.

Relax With Andrew Johnson
Stress is unpleasant, sure, but believe it or not, it also has major—and we mean major—implications for your actual life expectancy. And let’s face it, with the pace of life today, we need tools that help us combat those feelings more than ever. So check out this App – on it, Clinical Hynotherapist Andrew Johnson teaches his best relaxation techniques, which can help with anything from work-related anxiety to insomnia. What a relief!

There you have it—our votes for the healthy, balanced smartphone diet. Tell us, what wellness applications do you swear by?

Happy St. Patty’s Day! Not only is St. Patrick’s Day a wonderful (and wonderfully fun) holiday – it always signifies to us the start of spring! We say, bring on the warm weather, the al fresco dining and GOODBYE, brutal cough/cold season! What better way to rejoice in the spring thaw than partaking in this spirited celebration? Better yet, your indulgence can take on so many forms – from drinking a fizzy Guinness, to consuming delicious green foods, to letting loose at one of the country’s many parades. Let us be your guide for enjoying this St. Patty’s Day to the fullest!

First, a brief rundown of the history of this greenest of holidays:

Celebrated each year on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day marks the day of St. Patrick’s death in the year 493. St. Patrick is the figure most closely linked with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The shamrock is associated with the holiday because – legend has it – he used the three leaves of the plant to explain Catholicism’s holy trinity to the Catholic Church. The holiday was celebrated as a feast dating as far back as the ninth century. But Bostonians beat Ireland by a good TWO HUNDRED years, by staging a St. Patrick’s Day parade way back in 1737!

If you’re all about celebrating, here’s a list of the top St. Pattys Day parades in the US. (Be sure to check it out before assuming your city won’t make the cut – some of these contenders truly surprised us!)

Of course, if you don’t live in one of the top St. Patty’s Day hubs, there are many ways you can participate in this fun holiday. No big surprise here: many of them involve food. We love this green-inspired sweet treats from Ms. Betty Crocker herself. Or if you’re more of the savory (and St. Patty’s Day traditionalist) type, why not try this traditional Irish delicacy of corned beef and cabbage? It’s delicious – reason enough to celebrate, we say! And for an extra sense of festivity, wear this hat while you are prepping your food!

Tell us, how do you plan on celebrating St. Patty’s day this year?

At Cold-EEZE, we are big believers in taking good care of oneself to stay healthy: we all deserve nourishing food, enough rest, and yes, a bit of pampering! We’ve also always believed that another important way to take care of yourself is by taking care of those around you—both your immediate family members and friends and those in your larger community. So back in September, we decided to launch our “Share Your Cause, Not Your Cold” program. The premise was simple: Cold-EEZE fans nominate their favorite charitable cause for a chance to win $1,000. We select five finalists, and the Cold-EEZE community votes on ’em—for the next 18 months!

A few months in, we are thrilled to say this program exceeded all of our expectations. Not only has it been a great way to involve ourselves in giving, the entire Cold-EEZE community is getting a chance to get to know the causes important to their fellow fans. The diverse and deeply deserving causes that you have nominated inspire us! Here is a recap of the winners from October through January:

October:
Lulu’s Rescue – Lulu’s mission is to rescue healthy, loving animals that are on death row and give them a second chance at life. The rescue is committed to finding the best homes possible for the adorable animals that they save, so that they can lead happy and healthy lives.

November:
North Clackamas Educational Foundation Buddy Backpack Program – The Backpack Buddy home puts food in the backpacks of underprivileged children every Friday with food. That way, they head into the weekend with some nourishment until they head back into school on Monday.

December:
Hannah’s Home—Hannah’s home provides a center for young women in crisis, where they can receive an education, parenting and professional training—and much more—in a safe and loving environment.

January:
Rusty’s Morningstar Ranch is an Arizona residential living facility aimed at providing a “whole”, well-rounded life to adults with Autism, by facilitating strong, nurturing relationships and positive learning experiences.

Thanks again to all of you for nominating your charities, voting for others, and generally being so thoughtful and amazing when it comes to paying attention to others in need. If you would like to nominate a cause or participate in voting for one, visit out Facebook page and view our “Share Your Cause” tab. Tell us, would you like to see more Cold-EEZE initiatives like this one? If so, how do you envision them?