You really want to ride but you’ve got the sniffles or worse – do you ride or stay in bed? Here’s our advice on surviving colds and flu season and eight ways to prevent an infection in the first place.
- By Selene Yeager
Sometimes a good ride is just what you need to blow out the pipes and breathe better. Other times, well, not so much.
Most sports medicine experts, including the American College of Sports Medicine, recommends using the general ‘above the neck’ rule: if your symptoms are above your shoulders, such as a drippy nose and stuffy head, go ahead with a low-intensity workout (it’s not a good idea to push it when you’re even a little sick). Just be sure to stay well hydrated. If your symptoms are below the neck – diarrhoea, a cough based in your chest, fever or vomiting – you’re better off riding your couch. Here is a more detailed guide:
SYMPTOM: SNIFFLES
RIDE IF You generally feel OK otherwise.
REST IF You’re so blocked up you can barely breathe, even after 10 minutes of light spinning.
SYMPTOM: FEVER
RIDE IF It’s 37 degrees Celsius or below.
REST IF It’s above 37.
SYMPTOM: HEADACHE
RIDE IF It’s mild enough to not be distracting.
REST IF Your head is pounding like it did the morning after your 21st birthday.
SYMPTOM: MUSCLE ACHES OR CHILLS
Don’t ride! Aches and chills indicate a more serious full-body infection. Your body needs all its reserves to fight it.
SYMPTOM: SORE THROAT
RIDE IF It’s just a little scratchy.
REST IF Your glands are swollen.
SYMPTOM: COUGH
RIDE IF You’re coughing just to clear your throat of excess mucous.
REST IF You feel like you’re hacking up a lung.
8 Ways To Prevent Colds and Infection
- by Jeroen Swart
1 Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
2 Avoid touching your nose and face
3 Wear a face mask or balaclava during training
4 Stay away from crowded places after exercise
5 Get your flu vaccination at the beginning of winter
6 Get plenty of sleep
7 Reduce your stress levels
8 Supplement with vitamin C, zinc and glutamine
When I bought my very first mountain bike I set myself a goal to do 1000 km in my first year – that was January 2010. In August I developed a hernia (not from cycling). I continued cycling through the pain until 31 December to achieve my goal. I was very proud that I had made it. I was operated on in April 2011 and allowed myself time to heal. In January 2012 I started cycling again.
So far I have competed in the Dunblane Race and the Southern Skies 24 hour race and have recently bought a new mountain bike which I enjoy tremendously – a Titan 29 er. I usually cycle in the mornings and evenings. Great fun.
When it comes to sore throat, the two things that help me a lot are sodium ascorbate and oral lidocaine to control the pain. “;*`’