How to Protect Yourself and Others and Still Maintain Your Fitness
Whether we are personally vulnerable to the corona virus or not, we all have a responsibility to help limit the spread of the potentially deadly illness it causes in the vulnerable people in our communities.
But does that not mean you have to abandon your commitment to your health and fitness?
These tips will help you navigate these issues and still continue your active lifestyle:
Although habitual exercise has been shown to strengthen the immune system and fight off illness, there is a period in the recovery cycle right after your workout when your immune system is vulnerable.
The best way to protect your health after a workout is to jump start your recovery and reduce your vulnerability. The goal is to return your body to homeostasis as soon as possible.
Re-hydrate immediately up to 20 oz of fluids in the first hour
Consume a vitamin C rich recovery snack after your workout in the 30 min post-exercise window when the body is most receptive to recovering spent energy storage in the muscle cells.
Get at least one hour of sunlight per day and fortify your vitamin D levels with supplements and foods naturally packed with vitamin D.
Remove wet clothes immediately after exercise (and between the various parts of your workout i.e. weight training and spin class )
Practice a protected “warm down” period outdoors or away from others.
Wear washable gloves for your weight workout, spin classes and when handling exercise equipment.
Keep combs and brushes and personal hygiene products off public locker room counters
Progress your fitness activities slowly, no more than 10% increase per week and avoid abrupt changes in intensity of exercise as this stress is often responsible for illness even in otherwise healthy athletes.
Avoid a constant diet of high intensity exercise like those associated with CrossFit, HIT (High Intensity Training) and Spinning classes where high heart rates are the norm, as apposed to the way we train elite professional and Olympic athletes. The Periodization training principles we follow to attain peak fitness for elite athletes calls for only 20-30 % of high intensity, high heart rate training per week and only for 8 week periods at a time to avoid an over trained state, poor performance and a compromised immune system. The transitional periods to high heart rate training is the critical period for illness. Contact us for more information on science based fitness development. (PHASE IV 310-582-8212)
Outdoor Training Tips
Don’t want to risk illness from the gym? Look which gym based exercise you can do outside, and do it there.
Stairs? Find them around your town.
Strength training? Find a park based fitness obstacle course and get your workout done. ( wear gloves, remove and wash workout clothes as soon as you get home)
Rotate your coats, hats and outerwear that may be impractical to wash daily and give them a few days for potential viral contamination to die off before wearing them again. Better yet, leave them in direct sunlight outdoors for a few hours.
Use a spray disinfectant on sports equipment including shoes, clubs, rackets, balls, helmets, handlebars etc.
Daily Tips
Keep your fingernails short
Wear a finger cot on your index finger during the day to make you aware how many times a day you touch your face
Disinfect your keys, eyewear ( glasses and sunglasses too) and cell phone daily and leave your “outside” shoes at the door
Upon returning home, trade your “street” or “work” clothes and shoes for your “home” clothes footwear and wash the former after every use
Keep your home well ventilated with open windows and the circulation fan setting on your heating/air conditioning unit.
Wash and rinse your hands before washing your face.
Wash and rinse your hands before brushing your teeth, then wash your tooth brush or soak in hydrogen peroxide or similar disinfectant.
Shampoo your hair daily, keep facial hair clean and trimmed short
Avoid cross contamination from shared make up products
Please contact PHASE IV to schedule a free and private health and fitness consultation: 310-582-8212
email Shelby@PHASE-IV.net Chelsea@PHASE-IV.net
