Welcome back to another edition of the Running Coaches’ Corner! We meet back here each week with tips, tricks, and stories of all things running. You don’t have to be a coach to link up. Got a good race recap? Link up! Have something awesome running-related to share? Link up! Have some tips and tricks the rest of the running world would benefit from? Link it! The more the merrier and we can’t to read your posts.
Today is our last day talking nutrition. Since I’m currently sidelined with a pretty bad cold, I thought I’d share my words of wisdom on nutrition when you’re sick.
There’s nothing worse than being sick when you’re an athlete. Being sick means you can’t participate in the activity that makes you happy and feel good. When you’re a runner during a high mileage week, being sick can be a huge bummer.
The best thing to do is to avoid getting sick in the first place. You can do this by eating healthy foods to make sure you get all your vitamins and minerals, getting enough sleep to support your active lifestyle, and by washing your hands. But if you do end up getting sick, check out these tips to get yourself healthy. You’ll be back to running in no time!
Getting Back to Healthy When You’re Sick
1. Sleep. The best thing to do when you’re under the weather is to give your body rest. Getting more sleep while you’re sick allows your body to fight infection faster than if you maintain your normal daily activities.
2. Up your vitamin C intake. The moment you start feeling less than 100%, add more vitamin C to your diet. Clementines and citrus fruits are the easiest (and tastiest!) forms of vitamin C. Orange juice, boosted smoothies, even supplements are all useful when adding more vitamin C. Just be careful not to overdo it. You’ll excrete excess vitamin C and you don’t want to overload your body.
3. Stay hydrated. Along with getting enough sleep, making sure you’re well hydrated will help your body fight infection. Water, clear juices, and teas are the best bet in this category.
4. Boost your immune system with echinacea. Echinacea is an herbal supplement. It’s been used for thousands of years to increase the body’s natural ability to fight infection. Available in capsule form, sometimes tea, and many other varieties, it’s an easy way to give your immune system a boost. Due to echinacea’s possible allergy trigger, be sure to check with your doctor before supplementing in case of allergies or other reactions.
5. Chicken soup is good for the soul – and your cold! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There’s nothing better to cure a cold than homemade chicken soup. Lovingly dubbed the Jewish Penicillin, chicken soup has long been heralded for its germ-fighting capabilities, likely coming from the cooked chicken and broth. It’s been used for centuries to help soothe the ill and I swear by it to this day.
Bottom line here: eat healthy foods, wash your hands, and stay hydrated and hopefully you’ll avoid getting sick as much as possible. But if you catch the next cold bug being passed around, follow my tips to get healthy quickly.
xo
TALK TO ME!
What’s your favorite food when you’re sick?
What’s your favorite activity when you’re sick? I used to watch Beauty and the Beast. Every time. And I still would if I had a VHS player.
Loading InLinkz ...Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Angelena Marie, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday!
