New Member and Health Question

Joeinpoole wrote:

Our Stone-Age bodies are designed to burn fat not carbohydrates

Interesting - Where did our stone-age ancestors get their fatty diets without a KFC on their local retail park? If you're going to tell me they ran down a gazelle with a sharpened stick, I'd have to ask where the first caveman found the energy to do so without some good old carbo-loading first?

Simple __ don't ride as far, especially in the cold weather. Rides of 30-45 minutes done say 3x times per week, with a couple of minor sprints during each run, is about the optimum for fitness maintenance. Do any more than that and the additional strain on the body and the joints largely negate any further health benefit.

Our Stone-Age bodies are designed to burn fat not carbohydrates as our non-farming forbearers had very little access to them and what they had was mostly seasonal anyway. We are most certainly NOT designed to run marathons for example. Why would we be? It's a colossal waste of energy and a massive strain on the body ... for absolutely no reward or purpose.

I mention the cold because Homo Sapiens are essentially Tropical animals (i.e. we are supposed to live in the Tropics). That's why, when you *are* in the Tropics, you suddenly find you don't need much in the way of clothing.

I'd recommend Mark Sisson's 'Primal Blueprint', amongst others of it's genre, if you want to understand more about how your body was designed to work.

To the general advice of diet and supplements through winter, I would also add wearing a neck warmer, since getting a 'buff' the frequency of sore throats and general sniffles has diminished rapidly.

As soon as it's cold enough to wear long sleeves for running or riding I tend to wear one.

Oh and echinacea tea.

The cold coming on could just be coincidence. I've just been off work for nearly 2 weeks and still don't feel I'm ready to be back on the bike. A few weeks ago I noticed riding was feeling much harder than it should and leaving me more tired afterwards. The following week I went out for a long, cold ride and got quite chilled, then bang- off work with flu, and while I'm back riding to work now it's still leaving me much more tired than it should.

In hindsight I'd say there was something lurking around my system that I should have paid more attention to earlier. So in your case, you might already have had something hanging around and the riding has just brought it to the fore. My advice would be listen to your body and don't push it, frustrating as that might be!

I believe in the saying - 'you are what you eat' (& drink). Most illness can be traced back to what you put in your body. Put in good fuel in and the body works correctly, put bad fuel in and it doesn't. So my advice would be to take a look at your diet first. Can you make improvements? Also, are you taking on board enough fuel for the higher levels of energy you are now expending? BTW, the last place I would go for advice on warding off colds is a GP.

First up, rest until you are fully fit - training with a weakness in your immune system is utter madness ! I know to my detriment having tried to push it with flu and ended up with pleurisy and pneumonia which was really not funny. So get back to 100% first. Keep warm, don't hang around in damp cold gear and eat some brazil nuts as a winter supplement - selenium is in short dietary supply in the dark months and brazil nuts will top you up.

* caveat - not a Dr but have screwed up badly in the past

Have you any history of allergies? Cold air usually only provokes or exacerbates existing conditions.

You may have also not fully recovered from the cold, so the symptoms return once the body is stressed, though I'm surprised a short-ish ride has this effect if you have been cycling for a few years. The last two cold-type viruses I've had really laid me low with prolonged headaches, not like a normal cold.

Dehydration shouldn't normally make you ill. ~500ml/hour is a good amount to aim for, though less is fine provided you are adequately hydrated before and drink plenty afterwards. Do you ride without mudguards? Spray from roads caked in mud, cowsh*t and whatever else can introduce nasty bacteria to your digestive and bronchial tracts.

I would:
1. eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, particularly soups and stews, and drink plenty of water (not just when you're riding). No sugary foods or alcohol, both suppress the immune system.
2. get plenty of sleep.
3. cut back on the riding for a few days and see if it makes a difference.

If it were me I would also stop taking those tablets, it's pointless if you don't have a real allergy. But I am not a doctor.

Welcome Shep. Maybe your immune system is low if you're doing too much exercise. The only advice I can give is what your mother would say! Eat well (especially iron) and rest. I know when I'm overdoing things I'm more prone to illness. Some extra-curricular reading if you fancy it: overtraining and resting