Remember in High School when your Sex-ed teacher said to you, “The Best way to not get an STD is to simply abstain from Sex”. We all snickered and got red but he/she was right. Now, in the case of this virus, we are faced with the same reality…. The best Route to not getting it is to simply stay the hell away from each other! But what can we do while in Self -Qaurantine to keep our immunity up? The media is swirling with information so Ive decided to give you the definitive guide to dispelling myth and healthy habits you can (and should) be implementing.
The Myth of the Ruminating Virus
Viral infections are not like bacterial infections. While the symptoms of bacterial and viral infections can present the same; (cough, fever, diarrhea, fatigue…etc.) they are very different organisms at the cellular level.
There is a lot of hypochondria going around about how clean your surfaces need to be and that the virus lurks all over your home. The truth is that without a HOST all virus’ dont have a very long shelf life. The reason is that Bacteria, some good and some bad, are single celled and have a much different structure around them than Virus. Bacteria are pretty indiscriminate about where they live and how they can attack your immune system. They can live longer on surfaces and adapt quickly to environments
Virus’ are very small, single celled organisms with specific DNA or RNA instructions about where they effect your immune system. There is also a very deliberate set of circumstances by which they evolve as well as survive. This is why blasting the shit out of your house with bleach isn’t going to be as good for your immune system as does proper nutrition and social distancing. Without person to person contact, virus’ lose steam and die pretty quickly.
Stress and Sleep. Important and Underreported.
Your Immune system is working overtime right now. Most of you reading this are under some level of quarantine which has pushed our bodies and minds to the point of hysteria . I know that my mind flows through waves of calm and concern all day, everyday.
The result of such hormonal and emotional stress is a lack of sleep and an astronomical level of stress. While the media is reporting on ventilators and hospital beds, there is little being told about the amount of ancillary sickness propagated by our immune systems crashing because of the compound effects of fatigue.
If there is ever a time to get your sleep patterns back on track, its right now! We are not forced to rise and grind like normal so ensure that you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night. 99.9% of people need this much sleep to mitigate, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. All of such diseases are linked to an decreased immune system and a susceptibility to the Virus.
Stress, man this is a tough one.. I get it. We are all listening to the same news reports because of our natural and healthy concern over the circumstances. Stress is called the Silent Killer for a good reason. It builds and builds over time while we learn to live with it. Slowly, inflammation builds throughout all the systems of the body, destroying the immune functions and our natural defense from viral infection. It is an important time to call friends you haven’t spoke with in a while, exercise whenever you can, try meditation, eat good food and have as much SEX as you can. Trust me on the last one… if you are married… 100% we all need it.
Ibuprofen makes me more suceptible to the Virus.
Just today in the Journal SCIENCE the community of Viral professionals have come out saying that the rumors about NSAIDs and infection are really misguided.
The rumor began because during the SARS epidemic the researchers found that the virus found a way to access a gene receptor called ACE2. Gaining access to this gene receptor was one of the reasons that the respiratory system was so effected by SARS. Being that COVID-19 is also targeting respiratory systems in patients, there are many parallels being drawn. Ibuprofen has some anecdotal correlations to its ability to access that gene receptor which is why its name has been thrown in the mix. A very interesting fact is that I you have Type 2 Diabetes, you have a much higher gene expression of ACE2 than normal population. Which is much more of a concern than Ibuprofen use!
Fish Oil Supplementation.
While Fish Oil is widely touted as a very good and healthy supplement to decrease inflammation, there may be some contra-indications for use if you think you are infected with the virus. An article I read, published on a peer reviewed site, gave evidence which showed that intra cellular infections like , The FLU, Herpes, Tuberculosis and Strep might be exacerbated by the use of Fish Oil during infection. SO if you think you got it… stay off the sauce for a bit.
Vitamin D Supplementation.
If you take Vitamin D ,like I do there is good reason for it. Vitamin D is more like a hormone than it is a Vitamin. It keeps inflammation down by helping to control the endocrine system (your hormones ) . Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for Stress Reduction, Testosterone production, and even GUT health. These are all essential for immunity.
What happens with Vitamin D is that people can many times overdo it. There has been evidence which shows that Too Much Vitamin D can have a detrimental effect on your respiratory system and a build up of too much calcium in your blood.
If the sun is shining where you are , go and enjoy it. In fact, during this time of Quarantine, the CDC has been so good about encouraging those of us with access to nature, to go take it in. But if you are cooped up inside and need proper Vitamin D, then 600IDU per day is sufficient. Salmon, Tuna, Mushrooms, and eggs are great ways to keep your Vitamin D Levels up.
Vitamin C Reservoirs.
Vitamin C has been shown to help boost the immune system during times of infection and stress. Unlike other Vitamin Supplementation, when you are sick, the bodies toxicity to OVER-supplementation isn’t as much of a concern. Therefore, have as many Cuties, apples, broccoli, papaya that you want. I would recommend that you consume the entire fruit to get the fiber necessary for the GUT, rather than trying to juice your fruit.
While I do not pretend to know all the answers to what will keep your immune system flourishing this time, I do believe what I have outlined is at least a step in the right direction. As far as the myths about the disease go, please know that the media is going to grab any headline they can due tot he fact that they need a ton of material to take up the news cycle. Be sure you do your own research before jumping to conclusions and/or getting more STRESSED out about things.
Ill close today with a Beatles Lyric “All We need is Love” . More than any time this simple daily task will do more for your immune system than any cleaning spray or medicine. If you do nothing more than live your life full of love and gratitude, you will be a healthy and happy person. Someone who can conquer anything and who your entire community will turn to when things dont look so bright.
Ill Be Your Beacon of Love during this Time and Forever. You will never walk alone .
Love
Eric
Programming Notes 3/30-4/3 ** This is Week 2 of the Muscular Endurance Testing Phase. Also we will be increasing the volume of the the training sessions and gearing towards more Aerobic Conditioning. Retest the 20RM Backsquat on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday are Upper Body Strength Work. Pay attention tot he fine details and have fun.
3/30
Baseline:
3X
200m Run
8 X Single Leg Med Ball Up and Over
8X Med ball Squats
8X Med Ball Squatting Halos
8 X 2ct Med Ball Toe Touches
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
BackSquat Baseline Re-Test Day:
20 Rep Max
*Be smart and test only once. We will retest for baseline again next week.
*No Belts, no sleeves, no shoes!!!!
Conditioning :
4 Rounds
12 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
400m Run
12 Front Squat 155/105
3/31
Baseline:
2:00 @ Each
-Single Rope Skips
-Row @ 27 S/M
-Bike @ 65/55 RPM
3X
10 Banded Pass Thru
8 Plank Walk Outs
6 Side Plank Knee to Elbow (Each Side)
Gymnastic Strength:
Every 2:00 For 10 Minutes ;
Max Set of Ring Dips
:30 Hollow Rocks
*Goal is to match the Ring Dip Number for all 5 Sets.
Aerobic Conditioning:
For Time
50 Cal Bike
150 Double Unders
2000 M Row
150 Double Unders
50 Cal Bike
4/1
Baseline:
Kettlebell Warm Up: (top to bottom)
-Halos
-Single Arm Press
-single Arm Bent Row
-Lateral Trunk Rotation and Punch
-Trunk Circles
-Straight Legged Deadlift
-Bow and Bends (kettlebell begins from floor and finishes locked out overhead)
-Squats
-Side Lunges
-Overhead Lunges
-Windmills
-One Arm Thruster
-Squat Jump
-Toe Touches
Primal Strength:
Tempo Floor Press
(1,2,3)
4 Sets X 8 Reps
*:03 Eccentric Lower.
WOD;
AMRAP 10
7 Sumo Deadlift High Pull 115/75
9 Shoulder TO Overhead
12 Burpee
*This should be light and fast. Scale to Goal of 5+ Rounds .
4/2
Baseline:
4X :30 @ Each
-Jumping Jacks
-Mountain Climbers
-SIt Ups
-Elbow To instep Lunges
-Bow /Bend
Midline Conditioning:
4X
100’ Sandbag Carry 150#
:30 Side Plank L
:30 Side pLank R
20 V Ups *Dont Fall out of Hollow Position
Conditioning:
100 Barbell Push Ups 75/55
100 Barbell Hang Power Clean
100 Barbell Bent Row
100 Barbell Front Rack Lunge
4/3
Baseline;
3X
8 Inch Worm Push Ups
10 Banded Pass Thru
8 Burpee Tuck Jumps
10 Banded Pull aparts
8 Banded Good Mornings
Hamstring Primer:
3X8
10 Deficit Romanian Deadlift 155/115
10 Pendlay Row
Snatch Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Snatch Deadlift
-Snatch High Pull
-Muscle Snatch
-Overhead Squat
-Back Rack Press
-Hang Power Snatch
-Squat Snatch Below the knee
Snatch Complex:
5 Min EMOM
-1X Hang Power Snatch Below Knee (Light)
-Rest 2:00-
5 Min EMOM
-1X Snatch High Pull + Power Snatch (Medium)
-Rest2:00-
5 Min EMOM
-1 X Snatch (Heavy)
*You may build during the EMOM Intervals.
