I ran Monday night but Tuesday I started displaying symptoms of a cold and Wednesday night I suffered an extreme sore throat.
So you're in the middle of a training program and you get sick, what should you do?
The experts all agree that for severe sickness (flu, strep throat, pneumonia, etc.), you should stop training, rest your body, and depending upon the details see your doctor.
However, they disagree lesser illnesses like colds.
Many other organs and systems in the body (like the brain) can only burn sugars/glycogen. The immune system is one of these.
When performing aerobic exercise, like running long distances, your muscles primarily burn fats for energy. However, they also burn stored glycogen which is powered & replenished by sugars. If you perform activities which burn up the energy needed by the immune system, then your recovery will suffer.
If I'm suffering a major cold (green gunkies and a very sore throat), then I stop running and rest my body - hoping that this provides my immune system with more energy that it might need to kill off the nasty viruses.
In either case, I use Cold-Eze or Zicam (both proven to shorten the duration of colds) to lessen the symptoms and recover faster.
So you're in the middle of a training program and you get sick, what should you do?
The experts all agree that for severe sickness (flu, strep throat, pneumonia, etc.), you should stop training, rest your body, and depending upon the details see your doctor.
However, they disagree lesser illnesses like colds.
Sources of energy
Your body has three main sources of energy;- Surgars (carbohydrates)
- Fats
- Proteins (you should avoid burning proteins).
Many other organs and systems in the body (like the brain) can only burn sugars/glycogen. The immune system is one of these.
When performing aerobic exercise, like running long distances, your muscles primarily burn fats for energy. However, they also burn stored glycogen which is powered & replenished by sugars. If you perform activities which burn up the energy needed by the immune system, then your recovery will suffer.
What I do
If I'm suffering a minor cold (say just a runny nose or a mild sore throat), then I continue running.If I'm suffering a major cold (green gunkies and a very sore throat), then I stop running and rest my body - hoping that this provides my immune system with more energy that it might need to kill off the nasty viruses.
In either case, I use Cold-Eze or Zicam (both proven to shorten the duration of colds) to lessen the symptoms and recover faster.
No comments:
Post a Comment