The 4 Keys to bulletproofing your immunity as an Athlete

And so it’s coming to that time of year again dealing with lots of change and not just with our training but to with the conditions of the weather changing for the worst. 

Hence today I want to talk to you about immunity but not just the basics of the flu season being here but that we are at a higher risk of getting sick due to how we train. Hence, we will be delving into the impact your training, it effects on your body as an athlete and how you can be at a higher risk of developing an illness, resulting in reduced training time and keeping you from competing, and not just at this stage of the year but right throughout the season. 

In this blog post, I will be first going through two areas that I think you must know about your risk of infection right now based on you and your current training. In part two well be talking about the 3 key micronutrients that build the foundation for a strong robust immune system and in part 3, last but not least the most important things you can do as an athlete right now to reduce your risk of infection and bulletproof your diet giving you the best possible insurance policy to stopping you from getting ill. I will also be teaching you the number 1 vital tip that most athletes get wrong when it comes to not feeling right and deciding whether or not to train that day. 

My goal for you after reading this blog post is that you’ll have a much deeper understanding of whether or not you need to take a day off from training or proceed. No more guesswork and feeling guilty about missing training. 

Less jump right in at the basics of your training.

Training can increase your chances of getting sick 

You would think that being very active and training 3+ times a week would make you super healthy and prevent you from getting sick. But unfortunately, it has the opposite effect at times, but that’s all dependent on how fit you are and what type of training you do.

There are two things we need to understand first before we can start to take control back. I’m going to walk you through 4 real-world actionable steps that will help to bulletproof your immune system, starting right now. But first, we must start with knowing our level of risk.

The S-shaped curve 

Is used to determine to what level of risk you’re at of infections based on your training status. As you can see from the graph only those who train moderately (20-40 min 1-2 a week 40-60% of Vo2max) or elite level athletes (decreased risk is associated with the professional support they receive around nutrition, training, recovery and mental health support) are at lower risk. More than likely you’re training 3+ times a week doing interval sessions alongside long endurance sessions, which places you in that well-trained athlete category and at higher risk of infection. We also have to take into account specific times around our training window that we can be at an increased risk of catching an infection.

Open window theory

After a long session 90min + or high-intensity interval session you are placing your body in a state of immune suppression, where immune function isn’t able to protect us from getting sick as well as it can do. We call this period after these types of immunosuppression sessions the open window. This open window is a period after training where you are most at risk of getting sick. It can last any wear form 6-72 hours, all dependent on several factors (training duration, intensity, hydration & nutritional status, fitness levels, the environment you training in, and many more). So, what this means is after a typical training session you’re at a higher risk of getting infected.

It’s not all bad news you can shift your place along with the S-shaped curve to the right and reduce your infection risk during the “open window” post-training by implementing training, nutritional, stress management strategies. Down below in this article, I'll be going through some of the areas we can use our diet to our advantage.

What you need to focus on with your nutrition 

There are many key micronutrients you should place your focus on making sure you’re not deficient in their intake. But with that being said I have put together 3 key vitamins you should be focusing on. Through my experience as a performance nutritionist, these 3 are usually quite low to deficient in athletes. Each one will be laid out with what they do for your immune system, their unique function, and of course foods that give you the best bang for your buck.

Vitamin A

• crucial for promoting growth and development and protecting epithelium (tissue on the inside of our mouths and nostrils) and mucus integrity in the body (first line of defense), it is also anti-inflammatory enhancing immune function. Excessive inflammation from stress (mental, physical) can lead to tissue damage. The body starts to break down.
• Top food sources - Sweet potato (1/2 medium) butternut squash (1/2 cup cubed) Carrots (1 medium) Eggs ( 2 medium).

Vitamin D

• Can modulate (vary the strength) of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Can improve how our immune system fights off pathogens (the bad microbes that cause infection).
• Top food sources - Tuna (1 small can) cod liver oil (1 teaspoon) Salmon (1 medium steak) milk (1 glass)

Vitamin C 

• Is a high-strength antioxidant that contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune system.
• Top food sources - Strawberries (6 medium) Orange (1 medium) Kale (large handful) Peppers (1/2 medium).

We need to note that when it comes to our nutrition, we need to not only focus on just these 3 vitamins but many more vitamins and minerals too. We also need to place our attention on our macronutrient intake too (carbs, fats, protein) as the quantities and the timing all have an impact on how the body performs during exercise and recovers after, which all has an impact on your immune function.

So what you can do 

Here are the in my opinion 4 areas that you can start to work on right now that will make you more robust and help to reduce your risk of infection.

1 Eliminate deficiencies 

You’ve heard it before and you going to hear it again, you need to eat a well-balanced diet first. No point worrying about all the fancy stuff if your foundation isn’t set right. So, with that being said you need to be aiming for 10 portions of fruit and veg a day (7-8 portions of veg 2-3 portions of fruit). Like the skittles aid instead of tasting the rainbow, you need to eat it. What this means is eating fruit and veg from the 5 color groups (green, white, orange, purple, red) to give yourself that insurance policy of not becoming deficient in any vitamin or mineral.

2 Increase your Antioxidant intake

Antioxidants support your immune system by reducing excessive inflammation and protecting your cells from the effects of free radicals leading to damage.

This links back to the first step, the need to eat the rainbow. When it comes to fruit and veg the brighter and more vibrant the color the higher the antioxidant levels will be. So, go for those bright and rich colored veg and fruit, and don’t settle for less.

There is one thing that I use with all our athletes here at CPN is Tart cherry juice. What this is a 100% pure concentrated juice that’s a high-strength antioxidant. Studies have shown that taking 30ml concentrate post-training reduces oxidative stress (damage) to the body, reducing inflammation which supports your immune system and speeds up recovery. It has also been shown to improve sleep quality after a hard training session if taken 30min before bed.

3 Use Zinc lozenges 

As we talked about the open window theory post an immune-suppressive training session, we know you are open to increased infection risk. There’s one handy tool that you can use to decrease the risk, zinc lozenges. After a long or intense training session pop a zinc lozenge into your mouth and do not chew it, allow it to dissolve in your mouth as this will coat the oral and nasal cavities. So, what it does is aid your innate defense system helping from those nasty microbes that cause infection to get caught in the mucus that coats your mouth and nasal cavity catching them killing them before they can enter the body.

4 Lastly Listen to your body 

We need to listen to the body and what symptoms are telling us, so pay close attention to the signs and symptoms you have been given. Do not train if you have symptoms below the neck for example a fever, upset stomach, muscle aches and pains, temperature. If you are displaying symptoms above the neck for example a head cold, runny nose, sore throat & fatigue train with caution, and if at any point these symptoms become intensified stop training and focus on rest & recovery.

You have to learn how to be patient with yourself and give the body the correct time to recover, it can take up to 2 weeks of complete rest to be given the green light by your body to go back to training from a typical common cold 

I would just like to thank you for checking us out and having a look at our blog. And please do remember that I’m here to help you in any way I can so don’t be shy and get in touch with any of your questions, Id be more than happy to help you.

 Don’t forget to download our E-book on the 5 key areas of how to take back control of your immune system using nutrition and keep it safe so you can refer back to it across your season. Grab the eBook

Here are the main areas that I cover in this eBook that can help you take control and push your performance to the next level.

1. You are more at risk of infection after long or intense training sessions, with an “open window” of increased risk of infection.
2. This open window can take 72 hours to close.
3. You can take control back by supporting your immune system by eating the rainbow and eliminating any nutrient deficiencies.
4. High-strength antioxidant supplements (pomegranate & tart cherry juice) can both aid the immune system and improve your ability to work harder and recover faster.
5. Adding the likes of zinc lozenges into your post-training routine can help reduce your infection risk in that open window phase.

References

Campbell, J. and Turner, J., 2018. There is limited existing evidence to support the common assumption that strenuous endurance exercise bouts impair immune competency. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 15(2), pp.105-109.

Connolly, D., 2006. Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage * Commentary 1 * Commentary 2. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(8), pp.679-683.

Dimitriou, L., Hill, J., Jehnali, A., Dunbar, J., Brouner, J., McHugh, M. and Howatson, G., 2015. Influence of a montmorency cherry juice blend on indices of exercise-induced stress and upper respiratory tract symptoms following marathon running—a pilot investigation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1).

Fullagar, H., Skorski, S., Duffield, R., Hammes, D., Coutts, A. and Meyer, T., 2014. Sleep and Athletic Performance: The Effects of Sleep Loss on Exercise Performance, and Physiological and Cognitive Responses to Exercise. Sports Medicine, 45(2), pp.161-186.

Gleeson, M., 2006. Can Nutrition Limit Exercise-Induced Immunodepression?. Nutrition Reviews, 64(3), pp.119-131.

Gleeson, M., Nieman, D. and Pedersen, B., 2004. Exercise, nutrition and immune function. Journal of Sports Sciences, 22(1), pp.115-125.

Goodenough, C., Levers, K., Dalton, R., Galvan, E., O’Connor, A., Simbo, S., Barringer, N., Carter, J., Seesselberg, C., Coletta, A., Jung, Y., Koozehchian, M., Sanchez, B., Springer, S., Cho, M., Mertens-Talcott, S., Rasmussen, C., Greenwood, M. and Kreider, R., 2014. Powdered tart cherry supplementation mitigates the post-exercise immune response with reduction in total antioxidant status and serum triglyceride levels following an acute bout of intense endurance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(Suppl 1), p.P34.

Howatson, G., Bell, P., Tallent, J., Middleton, B., McHugh, M. and Ellis, J., 2011. Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. European Journal of Nutrition, 51(8), pp.909-916.