This is the fourth time since December that I've had a cold/flu. This time I really got sick. I have no clue whats causing this....it interferes with my training and eating. It sets me back every single time. I'm frustrated....I have no clue why I keep on getting sick. Anyone have any good tips on how to avoid getting flu/colds?

Have you been to a doctor? Sometimes a number of small/annoying health incidents mean there's something more systemic going on, and it could be something as easy to fix as anemia or a sinus infection.

I went today and got antibiotics.

You sure it is cold/flu? Maybe you just have really bad allergies.

Do you wash your hands alot? That can reduce your chances of getting cold/flu by quite a bit....

I had this problem at first, too, when I was really heavy. I just kept plugging along the best I could and made the best use of time when I wasn't ill. I'd say plan to not lose any ground diet-wise when ill, if your infections are not bronchial in nature, push through them and don't worry about progress. Worry about forming the habit of exercise routine. Double up on Vitamin C.

Last Spring/Summer is when I really made the most of my transformation happen and I've been sick only once since... when my evil foreman sent me outside for 3 hours... in 15 degree weather... knowing that as a weldor I didn't have the clothes/equipment to be out there. I hate that miserable bastard.

Everytime i feel a flu coming on... I start eating eggs for breakfast, yolk and all scrambled with some whole grain bread. Double up on my vitamins and minerals and get more sleep... Works for me

What's your training and rest been like lately? If you're training hard and not getting enough rest, you'll gradually run your body down and impede it's ability to fight off disease. Since you say it interferes with your training though, this probably isn't the problem, but it doesn't hurt to check.

Chic is right. I noticed that if I don't sleep properly even only 1-2 nights in the row my immune system gets weaker.
I make sure I get 8-9 hrs of sleep and I haven't been sick (or even had a flu/cold) for a very long time (like 2-3 years)

Also during more stressful times esp. when I traveling a lot (for a while I was flying to Europe and back like every few weeks) or if I don't sleep properly I take take Cold-Fx as a procaution. This stuff works. I swear by it!!
http://cae.cold-fx.com/?q=productinfo/80

During my recent bout of illness (Hepatitus A) I was told by my doctor that being fit and eating the right foods does not influence your immune system, but rather that it is genetic and some have stronger immune systems than others. I must point out however that this was the same doctor who banned me from exercise for six months. I must also point out that he was not my regular doctor.

I am not a doctor, nor have I done extensive research on the matter so I cannot make any valid comments other than my own personal experience.

I too feel that I get sick more often now than when I was fat and unhealthy but after giving it some thought I think these are the reasons.

1. When I was fat and unhealthy I hardly ever missed out on sleep and often slept well in excess of 8 hours a night.
2. I ate more than I needed all the time.
3. I did not have contact with many public facilities such as the gym.
4. I didn't care about very much at all so I had less/different stress.

Now I get up early to gym, so I dont always get enough sleep, I eat less than what I need some of the time (cutting), I have constant contact with public facilities at the gym and I worry about my diet and exercise constantly (stress).

But I feel that I haven't found the perfect balance in life yet, and that is an ongoing exercise in itself.

I go to the sauna regularly and take echinacea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea). I just read on wikipedia that there are contradicting studies regarding echinacea but since I started taking it a bit more than a year ago I had only one cold - and that was a bad cough while my sister, who I was visiting at the time, ended up in bed with fever besides the cough.

Additionally, I avoid using public transport (can't avoid the gym though... :D). Luckily I can cylce to work - I'm convinced that being stuck in a train or bus with people sick around you increases the chances of you getting a cold.

During my recent bout of illness (Hepatitus A) I was told by my doctor that being fit and eating the right foods does not influence your immune system, but rather that it is genetic and some have stronger immune systems than others. I must point out however that this was the same doctor who banned me from exercise for six months. I must also point out that he was not my regular doctor.

Plus, that doctor is a dumbass.

It is well known that heavy exercise must be compensated with adequate carbohydrate intake near exercise, and rest, otherwise the immune system gets suppressed. There's a big literature on this sort of thing and he seems to have swung and missed on it.

What that guy also probably doesn't know is that if you do get the adequate carbohydrate intake during or near exercise, and you get the rest, then the immune system adapts to the exercise stress and so this can improve your immune system over time.

So exercise acutely suppresses the immune system, but the chronic effect of exercise is more important - and that will be determined by whether the rest and nutrition is adequate to support the exercise intensity and volume.

So when you get someone who doesn't really pay attention, they can think that immune function isn't related to exercise, because they might see some people exercise and get improved immune function and other people exercise and get reduced immune function.

I feel for you as I went through the same thing. I had a really bad year. I had 13 colds in 12 months, it was horrendous. But it was my fault, I drank, i smoked and when i wasn't ill was out until the small hours partying. It was that one terriblle year that made me start eating right and going to the gym and led me to find John's site. In the last 2 years i've barely been sick!

You'll get a lot of advice about lots of people 'old wives tales' advising you to take this and take that. Most of which IMHO is a load of bull. Do your cardio and lift with a passion, but for me the most vital thing was to eat right and rest enough. Get a variety of nutrient rich foods, make sure you eat plenty of quality fruits veggies and healthy fats, rest up and you'll come good.

Having said all of this, you could have just hit an unlucky streak! The cold research centre at Cardiff University have done tests which show that if the cold virus is placed in the nose of people 95% will get a cold ... so it may just be that you're healthy enough but your coworkers who aren't are inflicting their illnesses on you!!!!!!

Stress can also cause things like this to happen.

I just got a cold sore right after the bad cold. Believe me it sucks. I usually train for 6 days a week. Lifting 4 days and cardio the remaining 2. I don't really have a set sleeping pattern right now so I think that might be the cause. Anyways I can't wait till this sore is gone so that I can get back to my training.

I just got a cold sore right after the bad cold. Believe me it sucks. I usually train for 6 days a week. Lifting 4 days and cardio the remaining 2. I don't really have a set sleeping pattern right now so I think that might be the cause. Anyways I can't wait till this sore is gone so that I can get back to my training.

If you are not feeling run down, I would train trhough a cold sore. I try and listen to my body and sometimes I train sometimes I don't with a head cold. I have a cold now and yesterday I blew off my run but I think today I am going to do weights. I know its a balance as your body needs rest to recuperate. Sometimes I will actually feel better after a good workout.

Thanks guys.

Another new problem has come up. Back Spasms....These have been going on for quite a while. They sometimes happen and then after a few hours of rest go away for weeks. Whenever I do deads I always make sure that my form is 100%. But today morning the spasms were bad. I'm booking a doctors appointment today. I have to have the crappiest genetics in the history of mankind...:bang: