In these midwinter days, the temperature is cold, Viruses and bacteria causing respiratory illness are commonplace. Those who do planned training find themselves attacked when faced with the dilemma of continuing with planned training or losing a few days of recovery.
When we’re preparing for a game or attending a special event, we all have It feels like we can’t fail any training If we want to reach the specified date in the right way.
So when we encounter the immeasurable, like an unexpected cold or infection with something as common as the flu, or more recently COVID-19, the world immediately stands up and we think all the hard work we have put in over the months is going to hell. , which is far from the truth. When we consider continuing training at all costs without considering whether it is the best fit.
Although One of the advantages of physical activity in general and cycling in particular is that it promotes natural defenses. The fact is that during training times of greater intensity, when we lose as much weight as possible and the loads are higher, our bodies become weaker and more susceptible to infections, which, on the other hand, are common during these dates.
Which option to choose
When we have to decide between getting sick, going out to train, stopping training, and rehabbing, we have to consider several factors. In general, it is often distinguished whether it affects only the upper respiratory tract: the nose and throat, or whether it has penetrated deep into the bronchi or lungs.
In the first case, they are usually mild symptoms that cause discomfort, such as difficulty breathing due to congestion in the nose and throat, and maybe a headache if the facial sinuses are also congested, but this does not prevent us from cycling. Of course, if high-intensity training is involved, it’s best to change the plan. Mainly because we were definitely not able to adhere to the set parameters, not because of lack of strength, but because of difficulty breathing. instead, Gentle intrusions may even be beneficial to stay physically active.
Another very different situation is When the infection spreads from the neck down. In these cases, the congestion is often severe, producing additional symptoms such as coughing. In the case of viral infections, fever can also occur, which, in addition to making us weak, can lead to other symptoms such as loss of muscle tone and body pain.
In these cases, It is wise to stop for a few days to allow your body to recover. When we take medications prescribed by our doctors. Stopping these 4 or 5 days may mean stopping training for only these days, or the illness may end up lasting 10 or more days, which is even more detrimental to our condition. And, unless the requirements are a little too high, these conditions are virtually impossible to meet on schedule.
certainly We will see a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and follow his instructions About the medication he prescribed us. Even if we think we know what we have and can use medications at home, don’t self-medicate, especially for those who at least use antibiotics. This practice is becoming a real health problem around the world as people become more resistant to antibiotics. Their incorrect application can develop resistance in bacteria, leading to a decrease in their effectiveness. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses such as influenza.
Things to note when training while sick
If we choose to keep our plans despite all measures, it wouldn’t hurt to take a series of precautions, starting with hydration If it’s an important parameter in general, it becomes even more important when you have a cold because it helps dilute the mucus your body produces in response to the infection.
Protect your mouth and nose with a neck gaiter or something similar would also come in handy to prevent cold air from exacerbating the symptoms we are already suffering from. Also when it comes to clothing, we have to be especially careful with our choices, because the cold can be just as harmful as overprotecting yourself and causing you to sweat too much and get frozen.
It goes without saying that when we return home, the corresponding Go straight to the shower Instead of dawdling between checking messages on your phone or uploading what you just did to Strava, as we often do. The top priority is to remove sweat, restore body temperature, and put on dry, clean clothing.
While we always enjoy riding our bikes outdoors, we must also realize that in this case, it is Rollers are an excellent choiceso that we can stay at home, and if we feel uncomfortable after starting the training, we can stop it at any time, in addition to minimizing the chance of catching a cold and worsening the condition.
Getting sick during the winter is virtually unavoidable because these types of respiratory illnesses are spread through the environment.In any case, to reduce the chance of falling, it is recommended to use some Practices learned during the epidemicFor example, use hydroalcoholic gel to keep your hands disinfected, or wear a mask in closed places or crowded places. Although everything is the same, 100% protection is impossible, and it is rare to not fall. Of course, now we remember that if we had gotten the flu shot a few months ago, we wouldn’t be thinking about these issues now.