It seems like almost everyone is sick right now and the NFL has not been spared. The AP reported last week that Receiver Buster Davis was inactive for the Chargers game against the Chiefs due to the flu bug that hit LaDanian Tomlinson and other Chargers too. Browns center (and former Cal standout) Alex Mack said of his performance last week that he would have liked to have more practice time before the game but that he was “out with the swine flu. I thought that kind of hurt me.” In all, about 12 Browns missed parts of the week’s work. The NFL Commish this month issued a new policy giving teams roster exceptions if enough players have H1N1, formerly known as swine flu.
Also this week, the Healthball Hulks (okay, that’s me) was sick. I had a sore throat then sinus congestion and finally a day of nausea and fever. Probably just a virus and not H1N1, but it kept me in bed anyway some days. So how did I score this week? Not very well. I racked up 72 points. And I thought a lot about how hard it is to perform when you are under the weather. 2 points total for the week for exercise (I managed one long hilly dog walk which I counted), 0 points for my stretching/yoga challenge, 2 points for my situps challenge which I wrote in under the “other” category.
So is diet and exercise a lost cause when you are sick. Should it be all comfort food and television re-runs? I watched six episodes of “The Munsters” marathon on Friday, and btw, that Herman Munster is a real softy under that hardened exterior!
Most importantly, listen to your doctor and listen to your body. It is probably telling you to get lots of rest and lay low which you should do. But physical exercise is only one of the seven challenges for the week. I went six for six in the “Drink Adequate Water” category. In fact, my doctor told me to drink plenty of fluids and I sure did. Water and Gatorade. Since my stomach was not feeling well, I didn’t have much trouble with “Eat adequate portion sizes” either! Went six for six there! So many of our challenges are things that are good for you whether you are sick or healthy.
So don’t abandon your health challenges for the week if you are sick. Think about which ones will help you get back to normal (most of them) and which you might need to cut back on until you are better (the physical ones). If you just have a stuffy nose or light cold, you might feel better after a brisk walk or a little stationary bike time. Check out this short article about exercising while sick.
Meanwhile, wash those hands with lots of soap and hot water, sneeze into your elbow, give larger personal distances to sick people, and keep thinking about your health! Even NFL players miss some time now and then over illnesses, so you can expect to as well. But keep following healthy habits and you will be back on top soon! And now we’ll see if my 72 healthpoints gets me clobbered this week, I’m playing the HanStars and they (led by Adrian Peterson, Tony Romo, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson) are predicted to score in the triple digits…… – Jim Ballard
Subscribe to our RSS
