CrossFit and the flu. How to reduce the risk of getting the flu?
What is the flu?
Flu (influenza) is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs. It is caused by a virus. The flu often starts with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. Common symptoms of the flu nclude a fever as well as aching muscles, chills and sweats. Other symptoms include: [1]
- Headache.
- Dry, persistent cough.
- Shortness of breath.
- Tiredness and weakness.
- Runny or stuffy nose.
- Sore throat.
- Eye pain.
Reduce your risk
You cannot prevent getting the flue but you can reduce the risk of getting it.
You can get a flu- vaccination but if this contains a different type of virus, you might still get sick. Also taking extra vitamins (Do you need supplements?), eating chicken soup, not going outdoors with wet hair and staying out of draughts will not prevent getting sich after a virus already entered your body.
You can reduce the risk of getting infections by taking the following measures:
- Sufficient hours of sleep and reduction of stress
- Exercise daily preferably in the fresh air and sun light (Health effects of Vitamin G) unless you have a fever
- Eat the same amount of calories as you normally do. Eating less increases the risk of infections by seven times.
- Make sure that at least 50% of your daily caloric intake derives from complex carbs as whole grain bread, brown rice, vegetables and fruit.
- Take a vitamin D tablet every day (1000 IU) for reduced risk of respiratory infections
- Once you have a cold: take 75 mg of zinc daily, to reduce the duration of the cold
- Avoid alcohol
Create your own health!©
References
[1] Mayo Clinic. Diseases and conditions. Influenza. Retrieved April 2024.
