Q: How to Prevent Getting Sick?
Hey Lauren,
While I am diligent about strength training and core work in addition to my training in order to prevent injury, I am always being sidelined by sickness and/or allergy induced sinus infections. It’s so frustrating!
I haven’t been able to run some of my most anticipated races because of a high fever or infection! I have been to a few doctors, including a natural doctor for ideas to boost my immune system, and I’ve tried them all. I’ve got the diet down with high fruits and veggies, and take supplements for ones I am naturally lacking in. But every doctor seems to say the same thing: long distance running brings down your immunity shield too much to the point where viruses/ bacteria can invade, and nothing really can be done to improve my immunity except for scaling back on my running intensity/ mileage. Obviously I want to keep training!
Is there anything I can do to boost my immune system so I can stop being sick all the time?
Thanks!
-Melissa
A:
Hi Melissa,
I’ll give you three things to think about from my personal experience:
1. Tonsils: I had my tonsils removed because they had pockets that seemed to be the starting point for several infections. I used to get 2-4 upper respiratory infections a year. After removing those, I haven’t had a single infection in over three years.
2. Sleep/Stress: It doesn’t matter how good your diet is if you aren’t producing growth hormone and lowering your cortisol levels with a level head and lots of sleep. If you ate nothing but pizza but you slept nine hours a night and used mental strategies to buffer stress, you’d get sick less often than if you ate a perfect diet but lived your life with a constant stream of cortisol (stress hormone) running through your system.
3. Weight: In my experience, I am more prone to getting sick when I’m leaner. I’ve talked to some of my peers and several health professionals about this over the years and its a common experience. My approach is to carry some extra weight through most of the year until its time to focus on racing, and I don’t allow myself to stay at that lower weight for longer than 6-8 weeks. I don’t know the science, (I’m sure its easy enough to find) but something about having a slightly higher body fat makes me very resilient in both training and immune function. A minimum buffer of 3 pounds (probably more like 5) keeps me healthier. It sucks racing with a little extra jiggle in the early season, but its totally worth it.
I hope one of those helps you out!
Sincerely,
Lauren
Hi! Happy new year Lauren. Thanks for another fascinating q&a! Just wanted to say that I also used to struggle with constant infections (sinusitis, tonsillitis) and the weight thing is key for me as well, followed closely by sleeping properly. I really have to pay attention and make sure I don’t get below a certain weight – the minute I get under about 57 kilos, I come down with the sinus infection from h*ll, usually with simultaneous random tendon injury. It used to really annoy me, but now I sort of thank my body for looking out for me (I think of it as a signal to get me to stop training/start taking care of myself before worse damage is done?)
I also second your point that as long as we/I get *enough* calories, it doesn’t seem to matter much whether they come from organic, local, grass-fed happy beef and organic local veggies, or from frozen pizza…well, ok, of course it “matters”, but in terms of warding off infections, my personal experience is that it’s not the most important thing.
Anyway, Melissa, you could think about tracking your weight and seeing if it fluctuates and whether downward fluctuations correspond with getting sick. Then have a look at your diet and make sure you’re getting enough calories to fuel your training. It’s so “like duh” basic, and yet so easily overlooked, especially in a world where we’re constantly told that calories are the enemy and it’s good to be size -27 or whatever.
Lauren, could you talk a little more about the “mental strategies to buffer stress”? What works for you?
Heather,
First off, thanks for the comments. Your tip about tracking weight with wellness is a great idea. As female runners, we often need evidence to prove that a slightly heavier weight is worthwhile for us. Sometimes, when I am heavier than I’d like to be but I race well, I get on the scale the next morning and write that heavier number down in humongous font in my journal as a reminder that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story.
We only see pictures of elite athletes when they are in their peak fitness, and never pictures of them with their muffin tops in the off-season. Models are on the cover of Runner’s World during the months when elites are out of shape, and the track elites that look super chiseled in December rarely make it to June in good health.
As for stress, you should really read the book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. I read it in 2004 after a disappointing year of less-than-awesome health. I had heard people talk about “stress this, stress that, don’t be stressed, etc” for like a million years and it seemed like voodoo science. I mean, how the hell are you supposed to not be stressed when you have work and life and training and all kinds of stuff.
The book is written by one of my Stanford professors and its hilarious and informative and a great read. It breaks down exactly what is happening in your body as a human in today’s work/life culture. It helped me understand what’s going on under the skin when I approach a task one way versus another way. It was only through understanding how it all works that I could develop techniques that work for me. I really think you should read it to get the best effect for yourself.
My techniques involve recognizing when I am getting a tightness in my gut while working/thinking, and relaxing it. That tightness means I’m approaching my physical or mental task with an overactive stress response, and I need to take a step back and find a way to work/think about the same thing with a little more emotional distance. Remembering to breathe deeply while working helps as well. The practice of yoga, especially bikram, helped me work on mind/body awareness which then carried over into other areas of my life. But it was reading the book that motivated me to take yoga in the first place, and helped me recognize the signs of stress so I could do something about it.
Thanks for the book recommendation! I will check it out.
Also, it is so good to hear that pro runners have muffin tops during the off season. Seriously. This information makes my evening.
Mary commented on nasal irrigation – I agree! It sounds nasty but really isn’t, and it totally helps with sinus problems. A combination of nasonex (a.m.) and nasal irrigation (p.m.) worked for me.
Thanks so much for answering this Q, Lauren. Here in the Midwest it’s tough to stay healthy through what feels like 9 months of winter, so I really appreciate your tips.
Hey, Melissa, along the lines of what Lauren said about tonsils: Have you been to an ear-nose-throat doctor? I used to have awful sinus trouble, and an ENT guy finally got to the bottom of it. Have you had any luck w/ allergy medications? I think there are now some meds that can be taken year-round. One non-chemical remedy is nasal irrigation. Sounds disgusting, I know, but it’s painless and might provide some relief. Finally, you mentioned that you take supplements…if you’re not already taking a women’s multivitamin, you might consider that. I’ve got a young child, and I used to pick up every single illness he brought home from school, but I swear that since I started taking a daily multivitamin, I get sick much less often. Sounds kinda obvious and too simple, maybe! Anyway, good luck; I know how much it sucks!
Great tips, Mary. ENT’s are much better than any other western med doctor at solving these kinds of problems. It was an ENT who found my tonsil issue. He also suggested I fix my deviated septum as well (the result of a very old jumping-on-the-bed injury), but I opted out of that one. I like being a mouth breather; makes me feel connected to my caveman ancestors.
On the lines of Vitamins, it sounds like you are taking a shotgun approach and its working great. For the vast majority of cases, it is probably enough to solve the problem. But just as a caution, if you find that you ever need to attack a specific deficiency (iron, zinc, etc), sometimes the multi-vitamins get in the way of maximal absorption of that one particular item. For example, zinc, iron and calcium are all in competition for the same enzyme for absorption, so a multi helps you get some of each but not a lot of one.
The opposite extreme of a multi-vitamin is using something like Bioletics. Its a company that provides at home kits to test your individual deficiencies, and then helps you create a supplement plan. I started using them this fall, and I was really skeptical at first because it looks like one of those things where they are just trying to hook you into a bunch of pills you don’t need, but it turned out I knew the guy who runs it and after one million questions, I felt confident their methods are totally sound. I did all the tests and they provided recommendations which I could choose to address with diet or supplements (or in some cases, both). I could choose to buy my supplements elsewhere if I wanted and they wouldn’t care. That’s when I knew they were the real deal.
I’m very discerning about what supplements I take since we are drug tested all the time. I’m generally petrified of contamination, but I’m impressed with the research these guys have put together in selecting each of the supplements they offer. I can’t speak for everything on there of course, but I’ve had great results so far improving my overall health and immune function, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something more specific.
Lauren, I’m curious if you’ve found supplementing your diet for certain deficiencies has been helpful, besides the usual suspects like iron, folate, B12 which we know to be causative of an anemia. I’m curious if testing yourself and knowing your deficient in “X” is really helpful, when, in reality, you may just “live” at a low level of “X” and that is “your” normal. Or are there things you have been deficient in and didn’t know where detrimental or inhibiting your performance until working with this company?
Haha! I am a mouth breather too. My nasal passage just doesn’t let in enough oxygen for me. When I try to control my breathing by breathing in through my nose I always get winded quicker. It feels good to know that an elite runner does the same thing. 🙂
Oy, Lauren, I had no idea about the multivitamin competitive-absorption thing! I’m sorry, Melissa; I didn’t mean to steer you wrong!
I’m sometimes borderline-anemic, so I love the sound of Bioletics and will definitely be checking them out — how great that there’s an accessible, individualized program. Thanks again, Lauren!
Hey Mary,
No, no you aren’t steering anyone wrong. I actually think starting with a multi-vitamin is a great place to start. Why pay extra money if a simple solution is working! I always start simple first.
Lauren
and you can find the gummy vitamins — all the better!
Thanks for all the tips guys! I am already taking zinc vitamins, and I replace them with iron ones halfway through my marathon training cycle. I also do the Neti-pot irrigation thing, and it’s not working! ugh! I think I sleep decently ( between 6-8 hrs, sometimes 9 on weekends). I have never thought about my tonsils! I made an appointment with an ENT next week, hopefully we can nip this in the bud!
Also, I never would have thought about gaining weight as a way to better health. Thanks for the insight! I am definitely looking for more evidence to support this, before I try it out. I’m actually interested to see what happens, but I worry that it won’t be easy for me. I’m very lean already, and the most I’ve ever weighed in my life is about 5 lbs heavier than I am now, and it was after a major surgery where I couldn’t exercise for 2 months! Once I find some good evidence I’ll share with y’all but I am definitely thinking about it as a possibility!
Yet again, your advice is always helpful Lauren. I love the humour and honesty you bring to the table. Thanks! And thanks to everyone else, I’ve noted your opinions and will try them !
Definitely share with us what you find!
Two things I found in doing some research today were:
1. Fat soluble vitamins and minerals are hard to store up when your body fat is too low.
2. There are significant energy demands associated with the immune response to primary viral infection. Source here.
I found #2 particularly interesting for endurance training. It seems that when you are a focused endurance athlete doing high mileage, you’re lucky if you can remain in energy balance, and you are rarely (if ever) in a surplus. As a woman, you can actually run a mild energy deficit daily and still maintain weight due to thermoregulation, and you’ll never know you are energy deficient.
So if a virus presents itself, your body increases its energy demands from the norm in order to fight it. But you don’t realize a war is going on in there until its too late. Unless you happen to overeat on accident those first few days of exposure, your body will need to go to its energy stores to meet the needs. It seems that having a little bit of stored up energy would give you a buffer on this…giving your body something to pull from. I don’t know though…just thoughts on initial research.
1. I did some pub med searching on immune function and distance runners. I’m found some interesting articles re: branched chain amino acids, specifically glutamine, but haven’t had time to really read them to see how relevant. Most were published around 2007, though. From what I read, it seems glutamine supplementation may help with immune function as distance running decreases neutrophil (a type of white blood cell – a good guy) function.
2. The gaining weight thing — do you just let yourself eat more dessert or eat what you want when you carry that extra 5 lbs? And how do you stop yourself from gaining too much weight? That would be my only fear with that strategy — that if I let myself “go” somewhat, that I might really let myself go!
Good question!! How much weight are we talking here. 3 lbs? 5? 10?
Lauren- how do you go about gaining in your “off” season! I’m interested to hear the details about the strategies and tools you use, also with regards to losing it again during hard training. That sounds a little stressful and difficult to do within what feels like a short-ish period of time.
I assume when you gain it’s on healthier foods, do you just double your food intake?
This whole conversation and comments is really valuable to almost anyone, runner or not. I find that now that I work full time (and am therefore much more stressed than I was in hs or college), I get sinus infections and colds all the time. Over the last few years, I’ve finally realized that it’s a result of the high stress that I hold on to from work related stuff. It’s nice to finally realize what your body is trying to tell you even if you can’t remove that stressor from your life. Sometimes, I think we rely too much on what someone else tells us rather than listening to our own bodies.
I’ve been fairly lucky when it comes to being sick and having it sideline me from running. I’m a school counselor and everything has a layer of bacteria on it. I’m not one of those people who wipes everything down with lysol and/or clorox but I try to wash my hands a few times throughout the day. I think I just have a decent immunity. I say all that to say this: I’ve been taking Airborne when I first start to feel an inkling of something or if I notice a child being a little more nasty than usual and it’s been positive. I’ve also read lately that Apple Cider Vinegar is like this amazing natural cure-all and a couple tablespoons dilute with a cup of water will help your body out. It taste HORRIFYING but I tried it just to keep from getting whatever my boyfriend had and a week later I’m still illness free!
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I’ve been weighing myself daily for the last 4 or 5 years, and any time my weight dips a couple of days in a row (or weight goes on) without me doing something that I know is going to affect my weight then I know that I’m either getting sick or over training and I’ll cut back on my workouts and make sure I’m drinking plenty of water. It seems to work out pretty well for me.
If you have any sort of issues with your weight, this might not work as well; the numbers themselves aren’t important, just the trend of how much you gain or lose. Since my weight is pretty static (it hasn’t ranged more than a day or two out of a 5 pound range for over 3 years) I have a good idea about what to expect every morning. If you do obsess over the numbers, get an analog scale and purposefully don’t zero it so that the number is meaningless anyway.
Be sure to keep a record; I use a calendar and just write my weight down every morning as soon as I get up and after emptying my bladder.
That’s serious discipline. And interesting that you notice a health difference when you dip low. The way my weight fluctuates with my cycle every month, I’d be horrified to watch the rollercoaster daily! Wish I was a dude.
Not sure it requires much discipline; I just get up, go to the bathroom, weigh myself, and try to remember to right it down on my calendar before I leave the house for the day. Record the number with my workout.
But yeah, definitely don’t have to worry about cycles…never thought about it from that angle before.
This is an old post, but I thought I’d share a bit of my experience. I used to get sick ALL the time, especially in winter; it was a bit of a running joke with my college team, and I had plenty of sub-optimal seasons because of it. Even that was an improvement over high school, when I was sick even more often, but I did seem to get sick somewhat less often after getting my tonsils out in college.
I’m in my first year out of college this year, and I’ve gotten sick once this winter (and that was pretty brief). A couple of things seem to have made all the difference: rhythm (especially regarding sleep), diet, and WATER. Switching over from college, where I’d frequently stay up until 12 or 12:30 (or later), forcing myself to get to bed by 11ish and wake up at 7 seems to have made a big difference; I’m more rested, and I pretty much never wake up feeling slightly sick like I used to all the time. I’m also eating a lot more fruits and veggies, and while I occasionally need to make sure I’m getting enough calories in my diet (sometimes difficult as a vegetarian), it seems to help a lot. But the third, and probably most important thing, is how much more water I’m drinking. I felt like I drank a fairly normal amount in college, but since getting an office job where I’m at a desk all day, I always have a glass of water with me at my desk. I’ll go through it 10-12 times a day (it’s probably a little under 20 ounces). The amount I pee is somewhat ridiculous, but staying extra hydrated makes a ton of difference in keeping your immune system strong. Obviously, you don’t want to drink to the point of discomfort; it’s just a matter of taking little sips of water constantly throughout the day, and refilling often. As I mentioned, I’ve only been sick once this winter (February, as the weather was changing and I was building up my mileage, and even that was a relatively mild cold); I was healthy through November, December, and January, when pretty much all of my coworkers were getting sick. Good luck!
Water and sleep are EXTREMELY important to immunity. Great add, and great personal experience. Thanks for sharing it.
Hey Lauren,
I see this is an older post, but I wanted to share something that might be helpful! One way to avoid getting sick is to avoid sick people – you can actually view real-time symptom and sickness reports at http://www.germtrax.com. Hopefully this will help people avoid particularly unhealthy locations (especially on college campuses). Just thought I would share!