Unfortunately I managed to start the New Year off with a mild case of the flu! Yes, I did try to take my own advice and drink plenty of fluids, eats lots of whole grains as well as fruits/veggies/garlic, etc., but two of the most critical pieces of advice I could not follow: avoid sick people and get plenty of sleep. Why? Because unfortunately the sick person I was exposed to was my husband! I suppose I could have quarantined him/made him sleep on the couch, but I really didn’t want to do that. As a result, his nights awake coughing & sneezing became my nights awake, which put a lot of physical stress on my body and eventually led to me “catching” his flu.
I think he came down with it first because he had been under a lot of stress at work, so when he happened to get coughed & sneezed all over by the little kid at the Christmas lights display, his body’s immune system was not prepared to fight it off. But that’s all water under the bridge . . . However, I do think this brings up a good time to talk about exercise, nutrition, and recovering from the flu or a really bad cold.
If you are running a fever, you really should not exercise as this can cause a worsening of symptoms and may even lead to heart complications (even death!). I admit, I have done races and long runs with a fever in the past and obviously did not die of a heart attack, but it is definitely NOT advisable, and will just make your recovery take longer. So, if you have a fever, DO NOT exercise!
If you just have the “early signs” of a cold, such as a mild sore throat, sniffles, and watery eyes, you can still exercise, but try to do your workouts “solo” and avoid exposing other people to your germs. In other words, do not go to the gym or meet your workout buddies, but try to run or cycle around your neighborhood or do an “at home” yoga/trainer/treadmill/or strength training workout. Make sure that you are drinking more fluids than normal because your body will be using some of that liquid in the production of excess mucous, which can end up dehydrating you. Even if your workouts are lasting less than an hour, this is a good time to use a sports drink with electrolytes in it, as this will provided added nutrition to fight the illness.
If your cold has progressed to the point that you are constantly coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, etc., it’s time to skip all your tough workouts and just do moderate activity (walking, a slow jog, stretching, etc.). You may also want to avoid exercising outside as the cold air can irritate your nose and throat even more.
Once your fever has broken, and your other symptoms have started to diminish to the point that you have more energy, do not just jump right back into your old workout routine. Take a good 10 days to slowly ramp back up; otherwise you could relapse. If you are a runner, keep in mind that a hard run that lasts longer than 90 minutes can decrease your immunity for up to 24 hours because your body’s stress hormones remain elevated for this long after a tough workout, so make sure that you are particularly careful during this time frame. This is a critical time to eat properly and avoid sick people! Make sure if you are working out this long that you are using a sport drink with CALORIES in it (not something sugar-free or low calorie) or ingesting some other form of calories (gu, gel, sports beans, etc) in addition to electrolytes, as the carbohydrate and/or protein calories will help maintain a normal level of blood glucose, which can help drive down your stress hormones.
It’s also important to realize that running more than 60 miles per week can actually DECREASE your immunity (below 60 miles has been shown to increase immunity), so if you normally run high mileage, during cold and flu season you may want to cut back to below 60 and increase your cross training.
Have a Happy, and Healthy New Year!
I think he came down with it first because he had been under a lot of stress at work, so when he happened to get coughed & sneezed all over by the little kid at the Christmas lights display, his body’s immune system was not prepared to fight it off. But that’s all water under the bridge . . . However, I do think this brings up a good time to talk about exercise, nutrition, and recovering from the flu or a really bad cold.
If you are running a fever, you really should not exercise as this can cause a worsening of symptoms and may even lead to heart complications (even death!). I admit, I have done races and long runs with a fever in the past and obviously did not die of a heart attack, but it is definitely NOT advisable, and will just make your recovery take longer. So, if you have a fever, DO NOT exercise!
If you just have the “early signs” of a cold, such as a mild sore throat, sniffles, and watery eyes, you can still exercise, but try to do your workouts “solo” and avoid exposing other people to your germs. In other words, do not go to the gym or meet your workout buddies, but try to run or cycle around your neighborhood or do an “at home” yoga/trainer/treadmill/or strength training workout. Make sure that you are drinking more fluids than normal because your body will be using some of that liquid in the production of excess mucous, which can end up dehydrating you. Even if your workouts are lasting less than an hour, this is a good time to use a sports drink with electrolytes in it, as this will provided added nutrition to fight the illness.
If your cold has progressed to the point that you are constantly coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, etc., it’s time to skip all your tough workouts and just do moderate activity (walking, a slow jog, stretching, etc.). You may also want to avoid exercising outside as the cold air can irritate your nose and throat even more.
Once your fever has broken, and your other symptoms have started to diminish to the point that you have more energy, do not just jump right back into your old workout routine. Take a good 10 days to slowly ramp back up; otherwise you could relapse. If you are a runner, keep in mind that a hard run that lasts longer than 90 minutes can decrease your immunity for up to 24 hours because your body’s stress hormones remain elevated for this long after a tough workout, so make sure that you are particularly careful during this time frame. This is a critical time to eat properly and avoid sick people! Make sure if you are working out this long that you are using a sport drink with CALORIES in it (not something sugar-free or low calorie) or ingesting some other form of calories (gu, gel, sports beans, etc) in addition to electrolytes, as the carbohydrate and/or protein calories will help maintain a normal level of blood glucose, which can help drive down your stress hormones.
It’s also important to realize that running more than 60 miles per week can actually DECREASE your immunity (below 60 miles has been shown to increase immunity), so if you normally run high mileage, during cold and flu season you may want to cut back to below 60 and increase your cross training.
Have a Happy, and Healthy New Year!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment