Well I have been really sick this week. Diagnosed with Pneumonia Tuesday and prescribed antibiotics. I rarely get sick, but when I do, I swear it makes me bedridden. As I reflected on being sick all week it dawned on me that maybe people don’t know how to keep on track while sick.
First of all. I truly believe, the longer you eat clean and treat your bodies well. Keeping up good habits such as cardio and balancing vitamins and nutrition the less and less you get sick. This is the first time all year I’ve been truly sick.
The number one thing any of us can do when we are sick is REST. Taking a day or two or three off of the gym is not the same as missing a day because you are lazy. This is important. The last thing you need is to over exert yourself when you are truly sick and making your health worse.
Eating clean doesn’t just stop because you are sick. Remember veggies are a “free” item on most meal plans so making some soup with chicken stock with all veggies is a wonderful option. Carrots, onions, lentils, celery, chicken are great additions to a basic clean soup. Boxes of chicken noodle soup or cans for that matter contain a ton of sodium so not always a great option. Just be mindful of this.
Easily digestible proteins are good to take when sick also. Scrambled eggs are so quick and easy. 26.49g of Protein. 0% Greek Yogurt is another high protein food which has probiotics in them. FAGE is my go to brand for yogurt. 10 grams of protein per serving. Can’t beat that. You can batch make the scrambled eggs and keep in the fridge too saving tones of time.
Keep your fluid intake to as much as you can. Ginger can help calm your tummy but be aware that regular soda has lots of calories in it. So I like to stick to water and add lemons to it.
Muscle loss during times of being sick is common. Due to the fact that you’re taking in less calories than normal. It’s more a mental war you will play against yourself. Try to stay positive and know that you should bounce back once you regain health and get back into the normal routine of the gym and eating. Stress will just increase your cortisol levels. Cortisol helps control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation. It has a controlling effect on salt and water balance and helps control blood pressure. All of these functions make cortisol a crucial hormone to protect overall health and well-being. So keeping those levels neutral are the best options.
When sick I take Emergen-C. You can get them at most Pharmacies. they contain 1,000MG of Vitamin C and can easily dissolve in a cup of water. This helps speed up the recovery time from most colds.
Lastly, If you’re truly really sick. Go to the doctors. Don’t wait so long that a simple cold turns into pneumonia or something worse. You know your body best. If your sick, do what it takes to get better. The less time off and laying in bed, the better.