My inspiration for this edition’s column comes from two of my clients, we’ll just call them Joe & Bob, who have been having a difficult time exercising regularly due to several bouts of sickness. Like many of you out there, they caught a viral infection first, followed by a bronchial infection. It seemed it just kept getting passed around and coming back because adequate rest wasn’t taken in order to fully get over it.
You may already know this, but the single most effective way to keep from getting sick is simply washing your hands regularly in order to prevent the spread of infection. Think for a minute about how many germs you come in contact with on a daily basis—shaking hands, opening doors, touching community equipment. Germs lurk in all of these places just waiting for their next victim. After you open the door and enter your work environment, you inadvertently rub your eyes, eat, or touch your face, and now you’ve just opened yourself up for infection!
If after trying all the preventative measures that you can, you still get sick, then you need to do everything in your power to get over it fully and as quickly as possible. For starters, be sure and get plenty of sleep. During sleep is when your body has its best chance of fighting off infection. I’ve seen many people try to get back to work too quickly, taking on a full load, just to find out that they weren’t fully over whatever they had, and now it’s come back. Speaking of taking on a full load, stress can also weaken your immune system causing you more susceptibility to colds than otherwise. It’s very important to maintain a balance in life with your stress levels. Some stress may increase your productivity, while too much inhibits you.
Another mistake I frequently witness is the sick person that thinks it’s better to work out than rest. It’s just the opposite; you should rest before you get any sicker. People feel the beginnings of a cold, but go the gym and train hard anyway, lowering their immunity in the process. If you feel something coming on, take care of it so you can get rid of it before you get sicker. Once you’re back on track you may find it difficult to train at the same intensity you were prior to getting sick, but just take your time and work yourself back up to where you were. You may also feel unmotivated or even depressed from missing your workouts. Just get yourself back into your routine and before you know it, you’ll be back up to your usual levels. The best thing you can do is start out at a lower intensity and build up gradually over the next week or two.
Melissa Allen, BS, CPT, CES is a certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist and Medifast health coach, is the owner of the Optimum Condition Corrective Exercise & Performance Center, located in El Cajon, in the East County of San Diego. We specialize in customized fitness training and corrective exercise for both recreational athletes and post-rehab clients, as well as guaranteed weight loss programs or your money back. You can schedule a free consultation to help you get started. Please visit her website at OptimumCondition.org.
