It's a typical Monday. You're dragging from lack of sleep. Head still ringing from cheering and beering in the stadium. And, as you try to unclog your sinuses from the cold that's coming on, you begin to realize that a game of shirts vs. skins in 40 degree weather was probably not a good idea.

Before you pop a bottle of Vitamin C, drink gallons of hot tea, or down enough chicken soup to fill a kiddie pool, grab a packet of Emergen-C. I've been using it daily for years. One packet mixed in 6 oz. of water has 1000 mg of Vitamin C, 32 minerals and a bunch of B vitamins to help snap you out of the Cocktail Flu.

It comes in a ton of flavors, and is available in formulas made with lycopene for heart health, calcium for bone health, and glucosamine for joint health.

Forget about all the technical stuff about why Vitamin C and minerals work, how the fizzing speeds absorption, or how the Vitamin B complex jump starts your energy. Since women tend to not go for the watery-eye-sniffling-coughing-clammy-skin look, you need it to work. Just know that it does.

$14.95 for a box of 36 packets. www.alacer.com