We're going to make this post short, as tomorrow morning chewy and I will be headed to Copa America to cheer on some of our training partners and fellow students. We'll post some photos and notes from the tournament as soon as possible.
No, your's truly won't be competing this year, timing just didn't work. My loving daughter and wife brought home the bubonic plague of head colds last weekend and it appears to have taken up residence in my nasal passages. 
Speaking of family and colds, my readers who are Moms or Dads understand the almost magical properties of small children and contagions. It's not uncommon for first and second year parents to contract numerous viruses from their children (especially if your child/children are in any form of daycare or pre-school).
What can we do to avoid the colds and not miss out on mat time? Sadly, not too much, but the following has helped for me from time to time.
1. Sleep
Ahh beautiful, majestic sleep. It's a more rare than gold and more valuable than diamonds when you've got small children, plus it's the single best defense against most immune system weakening agents.
2. Did I mention Sleep?
Yes, that's right, I did, can you tell the little hazzy has been keeping me up lately?
3. Eat right and/or take a multi-vitamin
I'm a big proponent of vitamins. I like to order mine online (GNC is just too ridiculously overpriced), for a great Mens or Womens multiple, check out Puritan's Pride. Good prices, insane sales, and high quality.
4. Consider herbal remedies (Echinacea, AirBorne, etc)
The jury is still out on this stuff, I train with a guy who thinks Airborne and similar products are a racket and exist only to empty out your wallet. I train with another guy who swears by their effectiveness at preventing and shortening the duration of the common cold.
Typical Herb Products
Echinacea
Echinacea, commonly called Purple coneflower, is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the Family Asteraceae. All are strictly native to eastern and central North America. The plants have large showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. Some species are used in herbal medicines.Echinacea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AirBorne
1. What is Airborne? Airborne is an effervescent dietary supplement that was created by a school teacher to boost her immune system so that it could help her body fight against the germs that abound in the classroom. Airborne contains 17 natural ingredients, including 7 herbal extracts, antioxidants, electrolytes and amino acids. Airborne provides added support to the body's immune system by providing needed nutrients and herbs, which help to strengthen the immune system.
Zicam
Q. Is Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and Gel Swabs a "cure" for the common cold? A. Since the common cold is a self-limiting condition (research shows that most people get over a cold between 10-14 days). the term "cure" is not scientifically applicable. However. unlike most over-the-counter and prescription cold remedies that have been designed to temporarily suppress the symptoms of the common cold. Zicam Cold Remedy is clinically proven to help reduce the duration and severity of the common cold.
What do I think?
Personally even if it works through "placebo effect" I'm all for anything that helps me get back to the mats quicker.
So, try like the devil to keep from getting sick, but if you do, consider trying alternative cold remedies, and please Stay off the Mats until you are better!
-hz
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1 comments:
Emergen-C works well also, and is available in more flavors (Including Acai).
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