The Shape-Shifting Head Cold

I'm exhausted when I get up but still make it to the gym. I've stuffed wads of tissues into my pockets but I know it won't be enough. Because this head cold is progressing, as it usually does, using post-nasal drip to infiltrate the lower respiratory tract. I imagine I've coughed up a seed grain. If things get worse, I'll be coughing up loogies. (That might be something only New Yorkers say.) I really don't want to be sick, but I've had this annoying runny nose for weeks. It's just never been quite so productive until now, so I know the status of my health has changed.

Today is Cardio Plus Friday and I start off slow and easy on the elliptical. I'm kind of shocked when the HR monitor displays 67 as I'm pedaling along. That is the lowest I've ever seen during a workout. Of course, it zooms up 100 points and back down again, regardless of my pedaling pace, but never quite as low as that again. I really must be sick. My eyes have been achy and feel swollen even though they're not. Signs of the flu? Naw. But just in case, I bought some elderberry syrup and started dosing myself this morning.

The only brand that seems reliable is Sambucol, manufactured in Switzerland. The syrup has a faintly pruney fragrance and a pleasant berry flavor. It claims to be an immune system booster, and an anti-viral, which regardless of whether I have a cold or the flu, works for me. Two teaspoons four times a day. Okay, I can do that but I should probably buy a bigger bottle.

Halfway through the first cardio session, I start to sweat. Immediately, I feel better, more awake, more energetic. I'm able to get two more pullups than I anticipated. Apparently being sick, like being sleep-deprived, doesn't really affect your strength. Endurance maybe. But not strength. I expect my forearms to complain and my pullups to wane later in my routine so I'm surprised when I'm still able to get 22 for each set. That hasn't happened in a long time.

The StepMill is one of my favorite cardio machines because it starts off really easy, but eventually catches up with you, usually after 10 minutes. I had planned to do some leisurely pedaling on the recumbent bike but found myself on the Cross-Trainer instead. Again, I started slow enough to wonder if I wasn't doing LISS cardio, but as I warmed up (yet again) my pace increased with the driving beat of my tunes. I'm a slave to the music!

Then, I planned to give my arms a rest by doing sets at the Seated Leg Curl before my last round of pullups. It was occupied so I had no choice but to do that third set sooner than I wanted. I was worried but needlessly so. When I got to the Leg Curl machine, I discovered my hamstrings were more tired than I thought and I struggled with the heavier sets. Of course, I didn't use the 5 lb increments like last time. Instead, I placed the 7.5 lb brick on the weight stack and cut out a set. Maybe I shouldn't've?

When I'm done, I find that I've emptied my water bottle. I haven't done that in months! But when you're sick and constantly blowing your nose, you lose a lot of fluids. What's odder is that I have no appetite afterward so the RTD protein shake in my car goes back into the fridge. I eat a few crackers and orange juice to wash down my vitamins. Normally, I'm so hungry I want to eat my hand after a long workout. Yep, I'm definitely sick. Online sources credit the body's release of cytokines during an inflammatory response to illness, and a side effect is appetite suppression. It is suggested that food digestion takes important energy that is needed by the body to mount a proper defense. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. Maybe the invader is just better able to utilize your food, like cancer and sugars?

More promising is the belief that the body utilizes different food sources (ketones vs glucose) to repair and defend itself against different invaders. Glucose helps the body to repel and recover from viral infections, and ketones are more useful against bacteria, at least in mice. Hence that adage, "Starve a cold, feed a fever." But that's assuming colds are bacterial! And we all know the common cold is caused at least one of 200 different types of viruses.

So, you'd think I'd be ravenous and want to build up my glucose stores. While colds and the flu are viral, secondary infections like sinusitis are usually bacterial and might require antibiotics to vanquish. As miserable as I feel, I can't take antihistamines or decongestants because both are associated with higher IOPs in glaucoma patients. At least I can sleep in tomorrow. And there's no school on Monday, but I'll still go to the gym.

Cold Cardio Friday

30 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Miles 2.81
Calories 310
HR 141-194 (67, 87, 90, 83)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

Elbow Plank 60s
Crunches 60/60
Leg horizontal scissors 60
Bicycles 60
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

20 Step Mill
Level 3
Calories 114
Total steps 719
Floors 44
HR 126

HGPU 22

15 x-trainer
Level 1 Manual
Calories 117
Miles 1.60
HR 126-137

HGPU 22

2:1 Seated Leg Curls
15lbs x 12
30 x 12
37.5 x 12
45 x 10

Mat Stretch