Cold got a hold of you? Make sure you’re working with—not against—your sickness by avoiding these seven things. By Karen Asp Try as you might, it’s not always easy to dodge colds. The average American, after all, gets two to three colds a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to Dr. Tina Q. Tan, an infectious disease specialist and medical director of the International Patient Services Program at Ann & Robert H.

Future-You will be so grateful. By Katie Holdefehr Between the parties, the gifts, the travel, and the cooking, the most wonderful time of the year can quickly become the most hectic. To give Future-You the best chance at being able to actually enjoy the best parts of the season without all the stress, you can start preparing in little ways right now.

Make your cleaning checklist—and check it twice. By Katie Holdefehr If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the cleaning you want to do before the holidays, let this cleaning countdown be your guide. Rather than worry about getting it all done on time, we've broken down the long list of potential to-dos into little tasks you can tackle one at a time over the next three weeks.

With no mention of Tofurky. By Betty Gold The only thing more intimidating than cooking a Thanksgiving feast for a crowd? Making it a healthy-ish one. No longer. We’ve rounded up a few simple ingredient swaps and tips that’ll make your Turkey Day dinner more plant-based...because, balance.

These mini moves will turn your home into a warm and inviting winter retreat. By Ayn-Monique Klahre When it’s hot outside, you want your home to be minimalist and breezy, with no extra layers to capture the humidity or hold in heat. But once it gets chilly, you want those layers back to make the house feel warm and cozy. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to make your space inviting and comfortable for winter.

Some lucky people are actually born with personalities that make them worry less, but what about the rest of us? The good news is there are proven ways to combat too much stress and its harmful effects on our bodies and minds. Don’t sweat it! You can adopt some of these simple stress busters, too. By Abigail Wise They meditate. Taking a few minutes each day to meditate may help lower your stress levels.

After years of navigating Thanksgiving dinner, we’ve picked up a few sanity-saving secrets. By Betty Gold Make Your Grocery List Early Don’t wait until the week before Thanksgiving to figure out what you’re making—and resist feeling pressure to experiment with fancy recipes. Find a few recipes you can trust and put every ingredient on a shopping list.

Adopt a few new habits to keep your home tidy without a full cleaning spree. By Marla Christiansen Keeping up with household chores can be a drag, but it doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as you think. So, what’s the secret? Perpetually tidy homes are often the product of a few good habits. Life gets messy, that’s why it’s important to remember that cleaning is an ongoing process—it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Entertaining just got a lot easier. By Betty Gold Here’s a hostess hack we can get on board with: stop stressing about which wines pair perfectly with the food you’re serving. How? According to Jamie McLennan, the wine and beverage director at Café Marie-Jeanne in Chicago, wine pairing is a lot less intimidating than many assume. The easiest way to pair wine with food is to think about the region that your food—or wine—comes from.

Keep those greens thriving with these must-know watering tips. By Lauren Phillips Bringing home new house plants can be a huge rush. It’s a little like bringing home a new puppy or kitten, but with much, much less work. That isn’t to say that plants don’t need a little TLC, though. Sure, there are plants that don’t need sunlight and some greens that basically take care of themselves, but all plants need a little water now and then.