Getting Sick After Working Out- Does Exercise Lower Your Immune System?

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Getting Sick After Working Out- Does Exercise Lower Your Immune System? By Michael Collins

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Question from a reader: "Hey guys, I wanted to know if working out can make you more prone to getting sick? About 3 years ago I really got into fitness and I've now started training for my first Triathlon.

In the past 2 months I've really increased my total work but I've gotten 2 full blown colds which have caused me to cease training for about a week each time. Could it be from the training?"

First off, good luck on your Triathlon!

An intense training program is the most efficient and effective way to reach your goals, whether it be training for a triathlon, trying to pack on lean muscle tissue, or lose 10 pounds to fit into your favorite jeans from college.
intense training lowers immune system
Achieving those goals, as you know is also not an overnight phenomenon. It takes consistent effort day in and day out to get there. Results don't come from one all out effort but from a string of solid efforts.

The big challenge here is that intense training has also shown to lower your immune system for 24 hours or more. When your immune system takes a hit, you're more prone to infections and illnesses.

Working out intensely isn't the only suppressor of the immune system- stress from work and relationships are also high on the list but I'll let Dr. Phil handle those for you.

So what can I do to keep my immune system strong if I work out intensely?

If you're working out intensely and getting colds often, here are two crucial elements that will help keep your immune system strong and keep your workout consistency up.

1- High Quality Nutrition- Doesn't it seem like it always comes down to how you eat and what you eat? Well, it really does. Anytime your system gets depleted of crucial nutrients (which is quite common with an intense training program), you'll want to eat as many high quality proteins as you can- fish, poultry, eggs and beef.

Protein is the backbone of many processes in the body that fight off illness.

Fresh and frozen vegetables should also be a staple of your diet along with some fruit- berries, apples, etc. You'll also want to top it off with a high quality vitamin/ mineral formula as insurance.

Pre and post workout I suggest a high quality whey protein for recovery and my secret illness fighting weapon- Glutamine.

2. High Quality Sleep- Just as a hard training person needs more protein than the average person to keep up with the demands of the body, a hard training person needs plenty of high quality sleep. Many of the body's recuperative processes happen during sleep- crucial hormones are released for cell regeneration and reduction of stress and inflammation.

Getting more/ better sleep is often easier said than done. Although it's rare that I have problems going to sleep, here are a few supplements recommended by friends and clients who've had success with them.

-Green tea extract
-Theanine (Found in green tea)
-Melatonin (A sleep hormone released naturally at night time)
-Magnesium or ZMA (Zinc Magnesium Aspartate)

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It contains a load of these tricks plus we show you exactly what you should be eating, and the exact exercise plan you need to keep your body fat in check. It's instantly downloadable and comes with a few cool bonus tools to keep track of everything. Check it out here- http://www.blackbookofsecrets.com