I’m sick. Not sick with diabetes–well, I am, I guess–or its complications, but with a cold.

How best to deal with this kind of illness? It’s a question with many answers. The first is to try to prevent illness. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

Still, someone like me who works in a place that is just a breeding ground for all kinds of super bugs (hospitals and schools are notorious for this kind of thing) is bound to get sick sooner or later–this is my second cold of the year. Interestingly, I often don’t “get sick”; instead, I’m in a funk for days and not feeling like my usual self until, lying in bed at night, I think, “That’s why I don’t feel well; I’m sick!” Sounds odd? I’m sure it does, but that’s my typical way of dealing with illness.

What are some ways to deal with these kinds of illness? Here’s the tried and true recommended methods:

Rest: Yes, something I don’t really like to do. I’m not talking about necessarily taking time off from working out–many don’t, including me, although I will scale back my workouts–but making sure to get regular sleep. My goal with this is to be in bed by 9:30 and up by 5 am. I don’t always make this goal–I probably fail about 1/3 of the time–but it’s still my target.

Liquids: Drink a lot, particularly of water. While I am a Diet Pepsi addict, I also drink lots and lots of iced water, not just to try to help with my weight, but to stay hydrated, period. Lack of hydration sometimes ends up with people in an emergency room, getting fluids through their veins–not what I want.

Over the Counter Medication: I’ll only take cough drops, but many others swear by over the counter medications to combat their symptoms. A cold is caused by a virus and antibiotics won’t help–in fact, on a macro level, overuse of antibiotics tends to do more harm than good. But over the counter medication to battle the symptoms of a cold might help the sufferer get through it.

Moderate (but not Killer) Training: I try not to miss much in the way of workouts, but I may scale back. I was supposed to do a 70 mile ride the first day I wasn’t feeling well but I cut it down to just 25 that day. I also kept lifting weights and swimming but cut out the running because I couldn’t deal with the early mornings. However, I won’t stop completely! I think that exertion helps me deal better with illness–it clears my airways a bit and helps me sleep better; it also helps me manage my stress better.

Seek Medical Treatment: If you’re still sick a week later and not getting better, it’s definitely time to go see a doctor or other health care professional. That’s what medical insurance is for!

I’m hoping I get better enough to go for 75 miles this Saturday. Wish me luck!