Exercise
And The Flu
Stay On Your Feet During the Cold and Flu Season
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Well,
its cold and flu season again. Time for newsletter editors everywhere to trot
out the same tired old cold-weather training tips articles. But its not just
the start of the cold weather training season - its also the start of cold and
flu season. And if you're confined to bed with a cold or down with a nasty bout
of the flu, you wont have to worry about what to wear or what kinds of workouts
to do. Because you wont be training.
The average adult catches two to four colds
per year. And up to 40 percent of the people in a given community may develop a
case of the flu during an epidemic.
Most flu epidemics and most colds happen
during the winter months - the so-called cold and flu season - when people
spend more time confined together indoors, spreading their germs among
themselves. We’ve known for decades that colds and flu are caused by
germs. But short of donning a Hot Zone anti-ebola suit and running for the
hills at the first sight of a sniffling child or co-worker, infectious diseases
can be hard to avoid this time of year.
And that’s why I sit here coughing
away with a Walter Matthau nose and a scratchy throat and eyes. I don’t
have co-workers, and avoid kids like the plague, but I do travel a lot and come
into contact with a lot of people when I do. So that hand I shook, doorknob I
touched or droplet of sneeze I inadvertently inhaled and lodged in my mucous
membranes wound up slamming me with my first cold of the year - right when I
need to start upping my mileage to get ready for World Cup trials in March.
Could it have been avoided? Perhaps. I know
all the rules and I’m usually very careful, but maybe I let my guard down.
It’s not possible to rebuff every handshake, and sometimes I actually have
to fly - horror of horrors - in coach.
The UPS Guy hasn’t dropped off my Boy
in the Plastic Bubble quarantine bubble yet. Until he does, I’m going to
have to be very careful and stick to the following guidelines. To lower your
risk of getting knocked down with a cold or the flu, so should you.
Precautions
- If at all possible, avoid close contact
with people who have colds or the flu, especially during the first three days
when they are most likely to spread the infection.
- Wash your hands after touching the skin
of someone who has a cold, or after touching an object that they have
touched.
- Keep your fingers away from your nose and
eyes.
- Consider getting a flu shot, especially
if you come in frequent contact with infected people.
To avoid spreading a cold or flu to others,
take these steps:
- Cover your nose and mouth with disposable
tissues when you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands frequently, but
especially after coughing or sneezing.
- If possible, stay away from people when
you have a cold, especially during the first three days when you are
most contagious.
Treatment
- It's important to drink adequate
quantities of liquids, especially water or juices. Staying well-hydrated helps
prevent the drying of the lining of the nose and throat, which helps keep the
mucus moist and flowing out of the body.
- Avoid caffeinated beverages such as
coffee, tea and colas, as caffeine can lead to dehydration.
- Get plenty of sleep and rest.
- While there is no cure, many medications
can help relieve cold and symptoms. These products will not make the cold go
away faster, but they can lessen the discomfort caused by the infection, making
the illness more bearable.
Click
here for the Centers For Disease Control site Flu Facts for
Everyone |
