Why do I keep getting sick? Tips
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2015-06-11 3:59 PM |
29 | Subject: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips I ran triathlons in my 30s. In my 40s trying to ramp up my training, but it never fails the past few years. Every time I train, about two weeks in I catch a cold. I don't feel like I'm overworking myself. Is it diet? Recovery? Anyone topple a similar recurring issue? |
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2015-06-11 9:33 PM in reply to: KevinthePRF |
New user 1351 Austin, Texas | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips Could be a combo of diet and recovery. Training is taxing on your body and does bring your immune system down. I frequently get sick if I'm training a lot, so I just try to be extra careful about washing my hands a lot, drinking plenty of water, etc. Make sure you're getting all your vitamins! |
2015-06-12 6:50 AM in reply to: KevinthePRF |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips I battled this a lot when I was younger. I think some of the keys are getting adequate recovery (especially sleep--an athlete ramping up training probably needs eight, if not more, hours a night, which is a lot more than most people get), diet (plenty of fruits and veggies, protein and healthy fats, minimize sugar intake), good health habits such as washing hands before eating and touching your face, and trying to stay away from sick people and crowded indoor places when your immune system might be down after a long workout or race. What seemed to really help for me was the nutrition part--while I've always been a fruit and veggie fan, I tended to eat a lot of carbs, but not enough fat and protein, until I consulted a nutritionist over a couple of issues (one of which was continually getting sick with colds and flu) in my mid 20's. Horrible to say, but I've gotten sick a lot less since I gave up being a vegetarian. Eating some lean meat or fish several times a week just seems to work better for my body. Since then I've been much healthier, but I do have an unfortunate tendency to get sick when I back off training during taper, despite following all my own advice most of the time! |
2015-06-12 8:58 AM in reply to: KevinthePRF |
Master 3127 Sunny Southern Cal | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips Ease into the buildup more slowly. Take more rest days during the early stages of the buildup. And as noted above, rest/recovery, esp. adequate sleep. |
2015-06-12 9:26 AM in reply to: SevenZulu |
Member 1748 Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips Originally posted by SevenZulu Ease into the buildup more slowly. Take more rest days during the early stages of the buildup. And as noted above, rest/recovery, esp. adequate sleep. ^^^^ This- you are probably ramping up too fast |
2015-06-12 10:14 AM in reply to: KevinthePRF |
Member 1487 Scottsdale, AZ | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips For me the formula to stay healthy is: REST proper diet - low sugar, low inflammatory foods, no gluten, lots of protein, healthy fats, veges and plenty of water REST proper training - don't do too much too quick REST I always take a rest day every week for both a physical and mental break REST Honestly, If I don't get enough sleep, I will get sick. I prioritize my sleep and guard it with my life. Once my kids go to bed at 8, I'm headed there soon after. Cuts down on the amount of socializing I get to do (esp during the week) but I know that after a couple nights of 6 or less hours of sleep, I will be hurting and will pay for it with a cold. I get up between 4-5 every day to train so NEED to get to bed early to get at least 7-8 hours/night. And I wash my hands often - sounds silly but really does work! Hope you feel better! |
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2015-06-12 12:27 PM in reply to: 0 |
Pro 6011 Camp Hill, Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Why do I keep getting sick? Tips Originally posted by mike761 Originally posted by SevenZulu ^^^^ This- you are probably ramping up too fast Ease into the buildup more slowly. Take more rest days during the early stages of the buildup. And as noted above, rest/recovery, esp. adequate sleep.
x3. Think of training as medicine. Every time you do a training session, you're taking a "dose" of training stress. Your body can only adapt to the training stress so quickly("absorb the medicine") . Stress of any type compromises our immune system. Training stress is no different. Too much training stress too quickly, and the result is your immune system has been weakened to the point that it can't fight off the cold viruses that are around us all the time. This point varies from person to person. If you use a tool to estimate training stress and recovery, like TrainingPeaks Performance Management Chart, you can learn where your personal limits for build rate are, and apply as much stress as possible while reducing those colds that cut into your progress. For example, using the PMC, it calculates something called Training Stress Balance that is a representation of how fatigued an athlete is. A negative number means that the athlete is fatigued (gaining fitness), and a positive number means they are fresh (losing fitness). For most people, too much time with a TSB in the range of -20 will result in illness, but I've ETA: As a side note, this is also why many people will get a cold a few days after long course races, especially if they went into the race with the minimum amount of training, then raced hard.
Edited by TriMyBest 2015-06-12 12:29 PM |
How Do You Keep Yourself From Getting Sick With High Training Hours | |||
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