Miranda works with Dr. Dani Urcoyo from Steady MD (a Dr who understands the way she and the Street Parking community trains). Here's what he has to say:
People involved in communities like Street Parking are, generally speaking, really healthy people who avoid the doctor at all costs. We do everything we can to eat right, move and stay healthy. But we also tend to be type A personalities who tend to push through any minor illness. Here are a few things to be aware of:
Don’t “Sweat it Out”
Although exercise can temporarily relieve symptoms of the common cold (ex. stuffy nose), working out to increase your sweat production does not speed up recovery time from common viral infections or the flu. Think about it this way, when you are sick your body is fighting an infection which causes stress on your system.
Remember that exercise is a stressor and most of the time it is a good form of stress...but not when you are sick. Rather than trying to power through workouts when you’re feeling crummy, focus on supporting your body as much as possible. Take it easy for a few days and make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep, eat nutritious foods, drink plenty of fluids and avoid substances like alcohol which can weaken your immune system.
Stop Overtraining… Seriously
Street Parking Members have made it a regular practice to step outside of their comfort zone and reach beyond their perceived limits. The intensity of the workouts tends to attract a certain type of person - the “go-getter.” This type-A personality is typically juggling a career, family, and side projects. We tend to be the type of people who hate rest days, try to work out5-6 days per week and even try to fit in a jog or spinning class when we can.
Intensity has tremendous benefits for improving fitness and overall physical and mental wellbeing, but only when it is countered by appropriate periods of rest and relaxation to build our parasympathetic tone. I often see the ramifications of overtraining including hormonal problems or issues with metabolism in individuals who are “burning the candle at both ends.” Sometimes these problems can take months to years to resolve. The value of maintaining adequate sleep and taking downtime to regulate, in order to prevent overtraining cannot be underestimated.
Food Can Maximize Healing
Most people thrive on a diet made up mostly of diverse colorful plants and high-quality meats and fats. Thankfully the days of viewing fat and meat as the enemy are coming to a close and more people are consuming and thriving on these nutritious foods. For a majority of us, food quality is much more important than quantity.
It’s also important to note that food has tremendous therapeutic potential. A diet devoid of select foods and rich in others can maximize healing. Food is especially powerful for those of us suffering from an autoimmune disease or gut-related issues.
Click here to read the Dr. Dani’s full blog post on working out while sick.
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