Colds

It is estimated that the average adult has between 1 and 6 colds each year,?but athletes who engage in heavy training and competition may suffer more frequent colds.
A cold can present with varying symptoms and severity, including sore throat, coughing,
Upper respiratory illness may cause more disability among athletes than all other diseases combined.
sneezing, fatigue and a fever among other things. With the winter months and flu season upon us, let?s take a closer look at exercising with a common cold.
Risk factors for Catching a Cold There is research to support that vigorous exercise can increase your risk and incidence of upper respiratory infections.?This evidence suggests that heavy acute or chronic exercise is related to an increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in athletes.6?When an athlete does become ill, their training and performance are limited. Many of these research studies were performed in runners, and the data shows that runners who were training higher mileages per week or per year showed increased risk of infections.
However, moderate exercise may stimulate the immune system in contrast to intense exercise, which may decrease immune function.?This suggests that exercise in moderate amounts is beneficial for the body and the immune system but vigorous and intense training may need to be altered to decrease incidence of illness.
Although research indicates that upper respiratory illness infections are surprisingly reluctant transmitters, upper respiratory illness transmission may escalate during winter sports seasons. The impact of upper respiratory illness on selected pulmonary, cardiac, and skeletal muscle functions may lead to illness complications in athletes, and sport performance during illness may also decline. Athletes should monitor symptoms, adjust training schedules, and rest during an upper respiratory illness.
When to Train If symptoms are ?above the neck,? such as stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, or sore throat with no other body symptoms, then the athlete can proceed cautiously through a workout at half speed. If their congestion clears within a few minutes of starting exercise, the intensity can gradually be increased.
When Not to Train If an athlete has ?below the neck? symptoms, including fever, aching muscles, coughing, vomiting or diarrhea, the athlete should not train.?Athletes who feel they may be getting ill should reduce their training schedule for 1 or 2 days. Exercising during an incubation phase of an infection may worsen an illness.?Symptom severity and duration of illness may be increased if one is exercising during an illness. Training can resume depending on the type of infection beginning at moderate levels and gradual returning to max, which can range between 3-5 days for up to 3 weeks.
When to Play Returning to training and returning to play or competition are different. Return to competition criteria is stricter than return to training or practice. Return to play is contingent on a clear physical exam.?Ideally, the athlete has returned to training at moderate levels and progressed back to their maximum level prior to competition.
Ways to reduce risk of illness: ? Eat a balanced diet ? Keep stress to a minimum ? Avoid overtraining ? Avoid fatigue ? Obtain adequate sleep ? Space intense workouts and competitive events as far apart as possible ? Wash your hands ? Do not share water bottles

Classic symptoms are fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, headache and aching limbs, fever and cough.
Your body fights against the pathogens and is therefore weakened. This robs him of energy and puts the body under stress.
When you have a cold, your body is weakened and your immune system is busy fighting pathogens. That's why you usually feel weak or tired during a cold.
Sports also challenge the body. When you work out, your energy reserves are tapped, your heart and muscles work harder, and your heart rate rises.
So doing sports with a cold means double strain and thus stress for the body. As a rule, the combination of sports and a cold is therefore not recommended. You should rather spare your body instead of putting additional strain on it.
Especially if you have symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and general exhaustion, you should not exercise under any circumstances.
If you feel fit and only your nose is running, gentle endurance sports such as walking or light hiking are allowed. However, there must be no other complaints such as sore throat or headache, fever or cough.
Continuing to exercise when you have a cold, you significantly prolong the course of the cold, on the other hand, it can lead to a more severe course of the disease with more severe symptoms.
If the immune system is weakened by a cold, germs penetrate the body more quickly than in a healthy person. They spread quickly and spread to other organs such as the kidneys, liver or heart.
Especially the infestation of the heart muscle is dangerous. Inflammation of the heart muscle is often the result. This can even cause permanent damage to the heart muscle. Those affected usually suffer from fatigue, reduced performance and shortness of breath.
After a cold, you should take it a little slow with the sport at first. During a break in training, your athletic performance decreases. You are not as fit as before and you should keep that in mind.
Start with a low load and train only in the light endurance range the first few times.
Running in shorts and T-shirts is an absolute no-go. Orientate yourself according to the onion layer principle and better put several thin layers on top of each other. A vest or a running jacket with wind and wetness stopper is highly recommended.

Researchers at Appalachian State University North Carolina should know how much sports activity affects cold risk.
To do this, they observed a total of 1000 test subjects between the ages of 18 and 85 over a period of 12 weeks. The subjects who exercised five or more days a week had only half as many colds as the subjects in the group who exercised one day a week.
The test subjects had to exercise and work up a sweat for at least 20 minutes per training session. Sports such as jogging, cycling, swimming and walking proved particularly effective.
The scientists explained the effectiveness of exercise in preventing colds by the fact that during each exercise session the viruses and bacteria were killed. During exercise, the body protects itself from foreign bacteria. However, this advantage comes into play only if you do not exert yourself too much during exercise.
Otherwise, the so-called open-windows effect occurs, especially during the cold season. During regeneration, the number of white blood cells decreases and the body becomes more susceptible to infections.



References:
Tara Hackney of Athletico Physical Therapy for Sports Medicine Weekly
National Library of Medicine
Journal of Athletic Training
We Go Wild





COLDS / ILLNESS:
Just need the confidence, and also nice when the coach agrees, and having never done gone through this with you, it was really refreshing for you to absolutely and positively agree it's time to stop, so thank you. It'll give me more confidence in the future as well to say enough.”

This is cool. Thank you. Fraya and I were talking on the way back about ‘quitting’. And ‘pushing’.

I see this sooooooo often coaches in any sport pushing people and breaking them. The bottom line is, they are treating them like elite or pro. And they aren’t! Most people just want to be healthy and improve a little.

Also, a regular coach would NEVER suggest or offer or advocate to ‘quit’. It disgusts me.

Illness and injury and sessions:

“Yeah. Definitely not right. Glad I stopped when I did. Just not recovering from those efforts. Feels embarrassing though sometimes to say enough,knowing that I should/could be doing more”

Dump the ‘embarrassing’. That is old school, club mentality. Has no place in a healthy well-being of body and mind.

Elite and sensible exercisers know when and how to quit and push and back-off and… ultimately get more out of their performances and stay healthier.

To be able to say ‘enough’, because of ill-health reasons, is the sign of an intelligent being and a balanced sportsperson.

It shows you are listening to the body and in-tune with it, as opposed to controlling it and fighting it.

THIS is very much the cornerstone to Vorsprung. Not the ‘efforts’ or ‘pushes’, but, the listening, understanding, working with the body and mind and the balance.

In an athletic term…

Would you rather be ‘out’ for a week, stepping-back completely from exercise until fully healthy again?

Or…

Out for another week in a few days. And another week. And another week.

Studies consistently show that stepping-back completely when ill or injured means a quicker, safer, and stronger return to exercise and training (almost returning at the same level one left), than, if one rushes back and will be out for months…

No brainer in our book.

Vorsprung changes opinions on things all the time. No-one else does. People are too frightened to. But, if we get it wrong or see new evidence for a different way. We change.

It bugs me, that, the word ‘quit’ is even in the vocabulary of a coach!

My responsibility is to the health of your body and brain, even if it isn’t yours. So, I will tell you to quit or push harder when in see the need.

This… Mostly, is lacking in teaching of children. People are not taught how to read paediatric physiology. They push children, just because the child wants to do more. Despite obvious signs of fatigue and despair.

It is estimated that the average adult has between 1 and 6 colds each year,?but athletes who engage in heavy training and competition may suffer more frequent colds.
A cold can present with varying symptoms and severity, including sore throat, coughing, sneezing, fatigue and a fever among other things. With the winter months and flu season upon us, let?s take a closer look at exercising with a common cold.

Risk factors for Catching a Cold There is research to support that vigorous exercise can increase your risk and incidence of upper respiratory infections.?This evidence suggests that heavy acute or chronic exercise is related to an increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in athletes.6?When an athlete does become ill, their training and performance are limited. Many of these research studies were performed in runners, and the data shows that runners who were training higher mileages per week or per year showed increased risk of infections.

However, moderate exercise may stimulate the immune system in contrast to intense exercise, which may decrease immune function.?This suggests that exercise in moderate amounts is beneficial for the body and the immune system but vigorous and intense training may need to be altered to decrease incidence of illness.
When to Train If symptoms are ?above the neck,? such as stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, or sore throat with no other body symptoms, then the athlete can proceed cautiously through a workout at half speed. If their congestion clears within a few minutes of starting exercise, the intensity can gradually be increased.
When Not to Train If an athlete has ?below the neck? symptoms, including fever, aching muscles, coughing, vomiting or diarrhea, the athlete should not train.?Athletes who feel they may be getting ill should reduce their training schedule for 1 or 2 days. Exercising during an incubation phase of an infection may worsen an illness.?Symptom severity and duration of illness may be increased if one is exercising during an illness. Training can resume depending on the type of infection beginning at moderate levels and gradual returning to max, which can range between 3-5 days for up to 3 weeks.
When to Play Returning to training and returning to play or competition are different. Return to competition criteria is stricter than return to training or practice. Return to play is contingent on a clear physical exam.?Ideally, the athlete has returned to training at moderate levels and progressed back to their maximum level prior to competition.
Ways to reduce risk of illness: ? Eat a balanced diet ? Keep stress to a minimum ? Avoid overtraining ? Avoid fatigue ? Obtain adequate sleep ? Space intense workouts and competitive events as far apart as possible ? Wash your hands ? Do not share water bottles

A cold, cough and hoarseness plague you, but you still feel fit for training. But can you actually do sports with a cold or is it an absolute no-go? We'll tell you here!
Your throat is scratchy, your head is buzzing and your nose is running: For many, that's no reason to skip a training session.
But if you have a cold, you shouldn't be in your sports shoes, you should be in bed. Training with a cold can have nasty consequences. In the worst case, there is a risk of myocarditis.

We've done some research and tell you when you should definitely stop exercising, when you can start again, and what you need to keep in mind when getting back into sports.
Try this ginger shot recipe as a cold killer!
What is understood by a cold
Common cold is the layman's term for a flu-like infection that is triggered by viruses.
Especially in winter, you become susceptible to such an infection. Cold and humidity stress your immune system and make it easier for viruses.
Classic symptoms are fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, headache and aching limbs, fever and cough.
Your body fights against the pathogens and is therefore weakened. This robs him of energy and puts the body under stress.
When you can do sports normally
Whether you feel fit enough for a training session is something you have to find out for yourself. But there are certain signs that can tell you that you can still exercise without any problems.
If you only have a mild cold, you can still exercise. A mild cold is when only your nose is running and you have no other symptoms.
In this case, nothing stands in the way of training.
That's why you should drink warm milk with honey!
But even here you should follow a few basic rules. Your body is struggling with a viral attack. Therefore, you should adjust your training load and thus the load intensity. Do not train at the limit. You should rather cancel marathons or other competitions.
However, nothing stands in the way of light endurance or strength training. Immediately after training is advisable to wear dry and warm clothes.
If you are still unsure, you can ask your family doctor for advice.
Why you should not do sports with a cold
When you have a cold, your body is weakened and your immune system is busy fighting pathogens. That's why you usually feel weak or tired during a cold.
Sports also challenge the body. When you work out, your energy reserves are tapped, your heart and muscles work harder, and your heart rate rises.
So doing sports with a cold means double strain and thus stress for the body. As a rule, the combination of sports and a cold is therefore not recommended. You should rather spare your body instead of putting additional strain on it.

Especially if you have symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and general exhaustion, you should not exercise under any circumstances.
If you feel fit and only your nose is running, gentle endurance sports such as walking or light hiking are allowed. However, there must be no other complaints such as sore throat or headache, fever or cough.
How to make a cough syrup from thyme, sage and honey!
What happens when you exercise with a cold
If you have caught a cold, you should skip training for a while. The body is already struggling with an infection and does not need another load. Besides, doing sports with a cold can bring some risks.
On the one hand, you significantly prolong the course of the cold, on the other hand, it can lead to a more severe course of the disease with more severe symptoms.
If the immune system is weakened by a cold, germs penetrate the body more quickly than in a healthy person. They spread quickly and spread to other organs such as the kidneys, liver or heart.
Especially the infestation of the heart muscle is dangerous. Inflammation of the heart muscle is often the result. This can even cause permanent damage to the heart muscle. Those affected usually suffer from fatigue, reduced performance and shortness of breath.
Here you can read up on Manuka!

Doing sports with a cold: How long you should take it easy
How soon you can start exercising again after a cold depends on how severe the infection was.
After a mild cold, you can start training again as soon as the symptoms have subsided.
However, if you have more severe symptoms and fever, you should take a break for at least a week.
It is better to extend the break a bit and recover properly so that you do not relapse. If you are unsure, consult a doctor and check with him whether you are ready for training again.

To get better faster, you should inhale 1x per week during the flu and cold season. You can use a pot with hot water for this or better: a Inhaler with built-in nasal irrigation.
You can use it not only to treat stuffy noses, but also to do something for your body when you sneeze or cough. The inhaler cleans the respiratory tract and keeps the mucous membranes moist and makes them swell down during colds. The inhaler supports the healing of the cold.
You are much more flexible than with a simple nasal douche and safer than with a pot full of hot water. The device is also suitable for children and has different attachments.

It's best to read the over 850 reviews for the Inhaler with built-in nasal irrigation on Amazon. They are all very positive. By the way, the device is currently on sale!
How to start training after a cold
After a cold, you should take it a little slow with the sport at first. During a break in training, your athletic performance decreases. You are not as fit as before and you should keep that in mind.
Start with a low load and train only in the light endurance range the first few times.
If you resume your old training workload at maximum effort right after a cold, you risk a relapse.
Keep a balance between rest and training and give your body time. This is true even if you haven't been sick.
Mild cold? Here's how you can ward off a cold!
What you should keep in mind when training in winter
Some people are particularly susceptible to infections. You too?
In winter, you should start training slowly. The body needs a little longer in cold temperatures to get to the right operating temperature.