{"id":1650,"date":"2021-04-14T04:05:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T04:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/7-tips-to-avoid-getting-sick-this-season\/"},"modified":"2021-04-14T04:05:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T04:05:41","slug":"7-tips-to-avoid-getting-sick-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/7-tips-to-avoid-getting-sick-this-season\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips to Avoid Getting Sick this Season"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cShould I workout when I\u2019m sick?\u201d<\/p>\n

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This is a question we get at Gage Strength Training every year, and there is no black and white answer for it. Put it simply, here are some guidelines to follow:<\/p><\/div>\n

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If your sickness exists above the neck, you can workout.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Below the neck, stay home and spend the hour you\u2019d workout taking care of yourself or napping.<\/p><\/div>\n

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When should you come back to the gym? When you\u2019re about 90-95% recovered from whatever illness you caught. On your first workout back, you need to go light. Don\u2019t go crazy and try to set new personal records; you\u2019ll only end up depressing your immune system and probably end up sick again.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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So, there\u2019s your answer on whether or not to workout. Now, what can you do when you get sick or to help prevent yourself from getting sick?\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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A little primer on some physiology, most people are reactive and not proactive about getting sick. By the time you are sick, the infection has already set in and there isn\u2019t much you can do about it other than letting your immune system do its job and rest (or see the doctor it\u2019s really bad). The key is to get ahead before a family member, coworker, or kid brings home the newest strain of the cold virus this year. Below are a few ways to avoid catching a cold:<\/p><\/div>\n

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Get Enough Sleep<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lack of quality sleep (less than 7 hours per night) will depress your immune system. The rest of the points I make below won\u2019t matter too much if you are only sleeping five hours a night. If you can\u2019t get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, try to carve out time for a quick nap if possible.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Manage Stress<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is probably the 1000th email we\u2019ve mentioned stress, but I can\u2019t stress how bad chronic stress is for you. High levels of stress will depress your immune system. You can look back at other emails and posts to see what we\u2019ve written about on this subject, but to put a simple actionable item here, take a few minutes each day to unwind. This might mean deep breathing, meditation, yoga, journaling\/writing, doing a hobby you enjoy, going for a walk, taking a bath, or simply taking 10 minutes to enjoy doing nothing.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Recover from Your Workouts<\/p><\/div>\n

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Light workouts (walking, hiking, or even just doing some light weights and moving) can help stimulate the immune system. But moderate and high intensity workouts will temporarily depress your immune system. The harder you workout, the more you will depress the immune system and the easier it will be for an infection to set in. There is nothing wrong with working out hard this time of year, but if you\u2019re around a few sick people, you might want to \u201cleave a little in the tank\u201d to keep yourself from getting sick.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Eat the Right Foods<\/p><\/div>\n

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Eating enough fruits and vegetables is already a battle for most people to do during the spring and summer, which means it\u2019s often harader during the fall and winter month.sAccording to Precision Nutrition, only about a \u2153 of people get enough green fruits and vegetables in their diet, and less than \u00bc of people get enough red, yellow, orange, white, and blue and purple fruits and vegetables.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Plus, what many of you indulged in yesterday during Halloween (myself included) had a large portion of empty calories. That means less room for foods full of vitamins and minerals which will help support your immune system.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Stay Hydrated<\/p><\/div>\n

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When it\u2019s 40 degrees out, probably the last thing you want is an ice cold glass of water. Water intake usually drops this time of year, and more than you think if you\u2019re not actively tracking it. You\u2019re going to drink less during these cold months including when you workout. To make matters worse, the drier air also slowly dehydrates you. Being dehydrated makes it easier to have infections set in, especially upper respiratory infections.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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If you hate drinking plain water this time of year, try herbal or green tea, or even just warm water with some lemon in it. And if the air in your house gets dry, a humidifier can help, even if it\u2019s only in the bedroom.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Watch the Alcohol Intake<\/p><\/div>\n

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Gin and tonics are replaced with red wine or old fashions, and low-alcohol pale ales are swapped for 10% ABV stouts. The lower alcohol drinks from the warmer weather actually help prevent you from getting so dehydrated after a night of drinking because of the lower alcohol content, but that\u2019s not the case with what most people drink with colder weather. Since you\u2019re probably starting out partially dehydrated, adding these stronger drinks will only make dehydration worse.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Also, alcohol decreases the quality of your sleep and can suppress your immune system. If you know you\u2019re going to have a few drinks, plan ahead.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Wash Your Hands<\/p><\/div>\n

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Everyone is sick this time of year, this is an easy way to help stop it spreading to you or someone else in your household. Warm water and soap for 20 seconds.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Now, you\u2019ve done all of this and still get sick (it\u2019s going to happen to some of you), what can you do?<\/p><\/div>\n

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I recommend making a lemon ginger tea with fresh lemon, fresh ginger, and local honey. Steep the grated ginger for 5-10 minutes, then add fresh lemon juice (\u00bd-1 whole lemon) and a teaspoon of honey. Drink it a few times a day (I also do this if I think I\u2019m going to get sick).\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Chicken noodle soup is a traditional sick remedy for a reason. Having a few good cans of it might be a good idea if you get sick and you don\u2019t have the energy to make it. If possible, make it yourself with the best quality stock or bone broth you can buy or make yourself. Kettle and Fire is a good brand you can buy at most stores.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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Finally, give it time. When you start feeling better, you can start including some light activity.<\/p><\/div>\n

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And before someone asks, no, you will NOT gain weight because you\u2019re sleeping on the couch all day when sick. Most people lose weight when they\u2019re sick because their metabolic rate is much higher and they don\u2019t have an appetite (but you gain the weight back because you have a crazy appetite once you\u2019re well again). Focus on getting better, not on getting to the gym.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cShould I workout when I\u2019m sick?\u201d This is a question we get at Gage Strength Training every year, and there is no black and white answer for it. Put it simply, here are some guidelines to follow: If your sickness exists above the neck, you can workout.\u00a0 Below the neck, stay home and spend the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_wp_attached_file":null,"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":null,"_wp_attachment_metadata":null,"_elementor_code":null,"_elementor_location":null,"_elementor_priority":null,"import_errors":null,"import_feed_limit":null,"import_info":null,"import_post_content":null,"import_post_status":null,"import_post_title":null,"import_post_type":null,"imported_items_count":null,"imported_items_hash":null,"last_run":null,"last_run_id":null,"source":null,"_menu_item_classes":null,"_menu_item_menu_item_parent":null,"_menu_item_object":null,"_menu_item_object_id":null,"_menu_item_target":null,"_menu_item_type":null,"_menu_item_url":null,"_menu_item_xfn":null,"_wp_old_date":null,"_has_fluentform":null,"_encloseme":null,"_oembed_0adae7e862bca11131c6787f8be710b3":null,"_oembed_1ac191dbaa745b6d2afe1f9df8974842":null,"_oembed_22bf6e6fc6bbe1cb9b3f46587b2d284e":null,"_oembed_400e0583f10c9af064d1d27d296af1ac":null,"_oembed_67135f6a2a81f6972572b7b9daf5de41":null,"_oembed_af23f4638c415d32b8ddb54cdfc7eb43":null,"_oembed_c91bb95746f43b53cfc236318dcde2f3":null,"_oembed_ed5df8101219fab1e558a75871d8bcf8":null,"_oembed_fbe77649558e75c65ee10fe60e8e9b36":null,"_oembed_time_0adae7e862bca11131c6787f8be710b3":null,"_oembed_time_1ac191dbaa745b6d2afe1f9df8974842":null,"_oembed_time_22bf6e6fc6bbe1cb9b3f46587b2d284e":null,"_oembed_time_400e0583f10c9af064d1d27d296af1ac":null,"_oembed_time_67135f6a2a81f6972572b7b9daf5de41":null,"_oembed_time_af23f4638c415d32b8ddb54cdfc7eb43":null,"_oembed_time_c91bb95746f43b53cfc236318dcde2f3":null,"_oembed_time_ed5df8101219fab1e558a75871d8bcf8":null,"_pingme":null,"_wp_old_slug":null,"feedzy":"1","feedzy_item_author":"devin@gagestrengthtraining.com","feedzy_item_url":"http:\/\/www.gagestrengthtraining.com\/7-tips-to-avoid-getting-sick-this-season","feedzy_job":"1510","feedzy_job_time":"1618373138","_elementor_screenshot":null,"wprss_feed_image":null,"wprss_feed_is_updating":null,"wprss_last_update":null,"wprss_last_update_items":null,"wprss_limit":null,"wprss_site_url":null,"wprss_url":null,"wprss_best_image":null,"wprss_feed_id":null,"wprss_images":null,"wprss_item_author":null,"wprss_item_author_email":null,"wprss_item_author_link":null,"wprss_item_date":null,"wprss_item_enclosure":null,"wprss_item_enclosure_type":null,"wprss_item_permalink":null,"wprss_item_source_name":null,"wprss_item_source_url":null,"wprss_template_type":null,"_edit_last":null,"_edit_lock":null,"_wp_trash_meta_status":null,"_wp_trash_meta_time":null,"_elementor_conditions":null,"_elementor_controls_usage":null,"_elementor_css":null,"_elementor_data":null,"_elementor_edit_mode":null,"_elementor_global_widget_included_posts":null,"_elementor_page_settings":null,"_elementor_pro_version":null,"_elementor_screenshot_failed":null,"_elementor_template_type":null,"_elementor_template_widget_type":null,"_elementor_version":null,"_wp_page_template":null,"_wp_desired_post_slug":null,"rank_math_analytic_object_id":"64","rank_math_internal_links_processed":"1","rank_math_seo_score":null,"_thumbnail_id":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1650\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagestrengthtraining.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}