Get on that Bike (RealRyder) to avoid Colds

Active People Suffer Fewer Colds

Studies have clearly shown that regular exercise will help prevent catching colds in the first place.

For example, one 2002 study found that those who exercised regularly suffered 20-30 percent fewer colds. Other studies demonstrate an even greater impact.

According to a 2006 trial, regular, moderate exercise reduced the risk of colds in postmenopausal women by half. The year-long study examined 115 sedentary, overweight, postmenopausal women, none of whom smoked or took hormone-replacement therapy. Half were assigned to an aerobic exercise group and the other half attended a weekly stretching class only.

The patients in the exercise group were asked to work out about 45 minutes a day, five days a week, but they were only able to reach the 30-minute mark per day, with brisk walking accounting for the bulk of their body work. By the end of the study, the women who performed aerobic exercises on a weekly basis had half the risk of colds of those who did stretching only.

The ability of moderate exercise to ward off colds also seemed to increase the longer it was used. In the final three months of the study, the stretching-only group had a three-fold higher risk of colds than the exercisers.

The fact that the enhanced immunity was strongest in the final quarter of the year-long trial suggests it is important to stick with exercise long term to get the full effects. I've often said it's crucial to treat exercise like a drug that must be properly prescribed, monitored and maintained for you to enjoy the most benefits. That also means that you can't bank exercise either; it's not like money. Even if you were a world-class athlete, in about two weeks of not exercising you will tend to start to experience deconditioning.

All in Good Measure...

Personally, I believe that if you have enough energy to tolerate it, increasing your body temperature by sweating from exercise will help to kill many viruses. However you need to be very careful and listen to your body, and not do your full, normal exercise routine, as that could clearly stress your immune system even more and prolong your illness if you are not careful and wind up overdoing it.

Also keep in mind that exercising too much can have the opposite effect on your immune system.
This is because intensive exercise boosts production of cortisol; a stress hormone. Stress hormones inhibit the activity of natural killer cells—a type of white blood cell that attacks and rids your body of viral agents. This is why running a marathon can actually increase your chances of getting sick shortly thereafter. In fact, elite endurance athletes can suffer anywhere from two to six times as many upper respiratory infections during a year, compared to average, active individuals.
According to an article in Sports Science Exchange, athletes are advised to avoid exercise if cold symptoms are "below the neck," or if they're running a fever. So-called "head colds" seem to be less serious in general. I think the same recommendation would be prudent for most people.

Above all, always pay heed to what your body is telling you, and if you feel too fatigued to work out, don't push it. More than likely, what you need then is rest. But if you're thinking of skipping your workout routine simply because you've been told you "shouldn't exercise when sick," then you may want to reconsider, as it could actually help you feel better, sooner. It will be especially helpful to mildly stimulate your immune system with some gentle exercise.

How Long to Warm Up?

How Long to Warmup Before Intense Exercise


All experienced athletes know the benefits of a good warm up before beginning intense exercise. But just what is the best way to warm up? And does the length or intensity of the warm up affect sports performance? The pros and cons of warming up before exercise have been debated among experts and athletes for years, but nearly all experts agree that a pre-exercise warm up1 does, in fact, improve sports performance and can even reduce the risk of injury during intense exercise. 
But the question still remains--what is the best way for an athlete to warm up? 

The length and intensity of the ideal warm up is still being debated and researched. Before competition, many athletes perform a lengthy warm up. For example, before a cycling time trail, you will often find the top cyclists warming up at a high intensity for 30-60 minutes or more. But could such a warm up routine do more harm than good? A new study from the University of Calgary offers a new twist on an old concept.

The Physiology of the Warm Up
Most athletes use the warm up to prepare the body for intense exercise and to prevent injury. The physiology behind the warm up is related to the post- activation potentiation (PAP), which is a biochemical change in muscle activation response that is caused by brief bouts of strenuous physical activity. The trick for athletes and coaches has always been to find the optimal length and intensity of the warm up phase, as well as what specific exercises should be performed during the warm up.

Shorter Warm Ups May Be Best
A study done by the University of Calgary Human Performance Laboratory found that certain types of warm up activities may be better than others when it comes to improving performance, and delaying fatigue. Their research showed that shorter, less intense warm ups may be better than long, more intense warm ups, particularly for cyclists.
The study looked at 10 elite track cyclists doing two types of warm ups: a long, high intensity warm up of 50 minutes that brought the athletes all the way to 95 percent of their maximal heart rates, and a shorter, 15-minute warm up that had the cyclists peak out at only 70 percent of their maximal heart rates. The researchers measured the muscle contractile response and peak power output of the cyclists before, during and after the warm ups.
The research found the shorter warm up resulted in less muscle fatigue and a greater muscle contractile response than the longer warm up. This, in turn, resulted in more peak power output among the cyclists doing the shorter warm up. The difference was fairly dramatic--peak power output was 6.2 percent higher and total work was 5 percent higher in cyclists who did the shorter warm up.

According to study co-author Elias K. Tomaras, the study shows that "an even shorter warm up might be better for athletes who want to tap into PAP.”
Any athlete who participates in sports that require short, high intensity efforts, such as sprint-distance events or power events, may want to give the shorter warm ups a second look. The ultimate goal of the warm up is to tap into the ideal amount and intensity of activity to promote PAP without creating muscle fatigue.


Until more research is done that establishing ideal norms, it seems that the best warm up is entirely dependent upon the athlete. Individual athletes should experiment with different lengths, styles and exercise intensity until they find what works best for them.

In the studio we are finding our riders like to take our thirty minute express ride.  This gives them the warmup they need before the longer classes.
Feel free to give a try (Mon, Tues, or Wed at 5:00 PM)