Tips for Preventing Colds, Flu and Other Viral Infections

It is cold and flu time again along with another round of Covid circulating. Dry, cold air promotes the spread of viruses. People are also spending time cooped up inside and this creates a fertile environment for the spread of viral illness.

Here are some steps you can take to help protect you and your family:

Using a humidifier will help reduce the survival of many viruses including most strains of the flu. Increased humidity lowers the survival of viruses in the air –and improves your response to viral infection. Remember to add a few drops of essential oil like 
eucalyptus to help prevent any mold growth.

Wash your hands – yes, this simple step can prevent many infections! We contract viruses through our mouth, eyes, and nose, and the most common transmissions occur when we touch our unwashed hands to one or more of these areas. So frequent hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is the single best protection to avoid viral infection. Always have alcohol sanitizer in your car and on your person and use it whenever you are not able to wash your hands with soap and water.

Maintain a Healthy Diet – with adequate protein and high in fruits and vegetables – at least ½ of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (about 80 grams for the average man and 65 for an average woman).

Stay Hydrated – particularly during plane travel. Dehydration lowers immunity and during dry winter months dehydration is common.

Vitamin C and Zinc – while there are many nutrients that support optimal immune function two that are critical are vitamin C and Zinc. Vitamin C can be obtained by a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Zinc is high in red meat, but also extremely high in oysters and pumpkin seeds. Supplementation is also an option. Either liposomal or buffered C with bioflavonoids are the most effective types of supplement for C. For zinc choose a high-quality chelated zinc supplement like zinc glycinate, picolinate, or acetate. For Zinc 30 mg per day is plenty and should be taken with food while for C 500 – 1,000 mg is more than enough on a daily basis.

During onset of sickness the body can tolerate much higher doses of C and this is beneficial in shortening the duration of viral illness.

Elderberry Extract – elderberry extract is a potent anti-viral compound and proven to help prevent and treat viral infections. High quality elderberry inhibits the early stages of viral infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells.

Sambucol brand elderberry extract is a research proven safe elderberry extract with no known contraindications. Sambucol is available in liquid form or gummies from Amazon, vitamin stores and pharmacies everywhere. It is best to keep Sambucol on hand and begin taking it immediately as soon as you feel any symptoms.

Quercetin – Quercetin Inhibits a virus’s ability to infect other cells (viruses literally infect your cells then take control of them and make them produce more virus!)

Quercetin also inhibits replication of already infected cells.

Quercetin Supplements

Like many polyphenols – quercetin has very poor bioavailability meaning it is hard to get enough where it needs to go to produce its many benefits. The great news is that there are research proven delivery systems that dramatically improve quercetin bioavailability. Look for “Quercetin Phytosome” which is quercetin bound to phytosomes. Quercetin Phytosome is a game changer when it comes to quercetin absorption and effectiveness. Some great products include:

Quercetin Phytosome by Thorne – 2 – 4 capsules per day

Now Quercertin Phytosome - 2 - 4 capsules per day

Dr. Mercola Quercetin and Pterostilbene Advanced – 2 - 4 capsules per day

Adequate Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D levels are extremely important to maintaining a strong immune system among many other important benefits. Testing is ideal and then adjusting daily vitamin D intake to optimize levels. Check out this previous blogpost that goes into depth on testing and optimizing vitamin D levels: https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2025/01/preventing-colds-and-flu-through.html

As with all supplements, speak to your physician first and those taking any medication should search for drug nutrient interactions before supplementing. For example, quercetin may amplify the effects of blood thinning medication so people on this type of medication should NOT take quercetin at all without speaking to their physician.

Weight Loss Made simple - Prioritize Protein and Fiber!

Weight loss requires you to consume less calories than you use - but there are many factors that influence both calorie intake and calorie burn.  This complexity is why many weight loss interventions fail.  Regardless of how people lose weight most people regain all of it because they revert to old habits.

Another reason is that our fat cells have an epigenetic memory meaning that cells respond to dietary and movement patterns which activate specific genes (either good or bad depending on the patterns!).  In the case of poor eating and movement habits cells tend to become resistant to changing their genetic expression.  In other words, once you become overweight you become more susceptible to regaining weight.

In order to lose weight and keep it off we need to make sustainable dietary and movement pattern changes.  According to a new study this change may be as simple as eating more protein and fiber!

Participants who ate more protein and fiber lost significantly more weight over 12 months compared to those with lower intake and this did not involve counting calories - just a focus on eating more protein and fiber rich foods.

Satiety = Protein + Fiber

Satiety refers to feeling satisfied and not hungry.   Protein and fiber both promote satiety through distinct mechanisms.   Fiber promotes healthy guy bacteria, improves bowel regularity, helps maintain blood sugar in the optimal range, and reduces cholesterol.  Consuming fiber rich foods such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and whole grains is also linked to lower all cause mortality.  Fiber also promotes satiety after meals.

Protein also increases satiety compared to sugar and fat.  Protein causes the release of specific peptides that interact with receptors in our gut to control appetite.   Protein also provides two other important benefits related to weight loss and maintaining weight loss:

Protein increases post-meal thermogenesis (technically called post-prandial thermogenesis) meaning that it takes more energy to digest protein so that you actually have to burn more calories to digest protein.  This means you get fewer usable calories from protein.  When you consistently prioritize protein this adds up to a lot of extra calories burned over the long haul!

Protein also builds and preserves lean mass including muscle and bone!  Muscle and other lean mass are the big calorie burners in your body so building more muscle and minimizing muscle loss during weight loss is key to successful weight loss that you maintain!  Studies suggest that high-protein diets cause almost twice as much fat loss as moderate-protein diets.

Participants in this study were taught how to choose foods with high levels of protein and fiber.  Participants aimed for 7 - 11 grams of protein per 100 calories of food and 1.8 - 3.2 grams of fiber per 100 calories of food eaten.   

For maintaining weight participants aimed for 4 - 8 grams of protein per 100 calories and 1.4 - 2.8 grams of fiber per 100 calories of food eaten.  

This equated to 140 - 210 grams of protein per day and 28 - 56 grams of fiber daily.  Participants did NOT count calories!

An Easy Nutrition Program

To make this even easier shoot for a minimum of 1 gram of protein per lbs. of lean mass every day (ask club staff to have your body composition measured which will give you your lean mass and fat mass).  To make it even simpler - just focus on 1 gram of protein per lbs. of body weight.

Here is a link to a free downloadable list of high protein foods: https://reallifenutritionist.com/high-protein-foods/

When it comes to fiber focus on getting at least 25 grams of fiber per day.   Here is a list of High Fiber Foods:  https://reallifenutritionist.com/high-fiber-foods-chart/

The Many Benefits of Regular Sauna Use!

 

Like exercise, heat is a stressor and has a strong effect on many body systems.   The key to obtaining the benefits is to understand that properly applied stress stimulates a positive adaptive response to the stressor.   Traditional Hot Finnish Saunas have a long history of use and an incredible body of scientific research supporting their benefits. For example:

Did you know that sauna use 4 – 7 times per week decreases risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 50 percent?

Did you know that sauna use 4 – 7 times per week reduces the risk of premature death from preventable diseases by 40 percent?

Did you know that a study showed that people were 66% less likely to develop dementia, 67% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s and 77 percent less likely to develop psychotic disorders, regardless of what they ate, how much they exercised, and their social standing?

Read on to learn more about different types of saunas – their benefits and how they produce such amazing results!

Different Types of Saunas

The most popular type of sauna is traditional Finnish Hot Saunas (temperature 180 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.   These saunas heat your body by increasing the air temperature and heating your body from the outside.

The other type of sauna rapidly gaining popularity is an infrared sauna which works by projecting infrared rays into your body and heating it from the inside out.   These saunas are preferred by many because the air temperature is much more comfortable and quality units produce heat deep within the body tissues.

Which type of sauna you choose to use depends on how well you can tolerate heat and if you prefer the lower temperature of an infrared sauna vs a traditional hot sauna.

There is more and more science supporting the benefits of infrared saunas, but there is a massive body of science supporting the benefits of traditional hot saunas often called Finnish Saunas.

Cardiovascular adaptations to traditional hot Finnish Saunas include:

Increased plasma volume and blood flow to heart with increased stroke volume (stroke volume is the amount of blood your heart can pump with each contraction – when it increases heart rate can slow down)

Increased red blood cell count resulting in increased oxygen delivery to muscles.

Increased blood flow to muscles and other tissues resulting in increased delivery of nutrients and disposal of cellular waste products.

Reduced rate of glycogen depletion which significantly improves endurance exercise performance.

Lower core body temperature during workouts and heat exposure.

A study showed that a 30-minute sauna session two times a week for three weeks post-workout increased the time that it took for study participants to run until exhaustion by 32% compared to baseline!

Sauna and the Brain

Heat stress has been shown to increase the expression of brain -derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

Increased BDNF causes the growth of new brain cells, improves the ability for you to learn new information and retain it, and ameliorates certain types of depression and anxiety

Increases the storage and release of norepinephrine which improves attention and focus.

Increases prolactin which enhances myelination and helps repair damaged neurons.

Causes a robust increase in dynorphin which results in increased sensitivity to endorphins.

Heat stress from heat exposure in a dry sauna has been demonstrated to cause a potent increase in beta - endorphin levels, even more than exercise alone.

The bottom line is that Finnish Saunas provide a powerful mood boosting effect that persists for hours after a sauna by increasing the creation of endorphins while also increasing the brain and body’s sensitivity to endorphins.

Sauna and Muscle Hypertrophy and Growth Hormone

Sauna use triggers a massive secretion of growth hormone along with improved insulin sensitivity.

Growth hormone has many beneficial effects including decreased body fat, increased lean mass, improved energy levels, improved skin texture, thickness and elasticity and better overall quality of life.  

Studies have shown that traditional hot sauna use can increase growth hormone up to 16 times base levels.

Saunas also activate the MTOR pathway which is responsible for protein synthesis

Saunas reduce protein breakdown through inhibition of FOXO activation

Saunas trigger the release of heat shock proteins (HSP’s) which reduce muscle breakdown

HSPs prevent cellular damage by directly scavenging free radicals and by supporting cellular antioxidant capacity through their effects on maintaining the body’s primary endogenous antioxidant glutathione.

HSP’s repair misfolded, damaged proteins thereby ensuring proteins have their proper structure and function.

HSPs persist for up to 48 hours after a sauna.

Saunas and Detoxification

Like exercise - saunas increase sweating and dramatically increase metabolic rate.   Sweating helps clean pores, expels toxins, and kills viruses and bacteria that cannot survive high temperatures.

There have been studies showing the value of sweating to increase the excretion of toxic heavy metals. 

Sauna Use and Covid-19 Risk

Covid 19 is destroyed at a temperature above 158 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes or longer.

A study published in The Lancet Microbe looked at how temperature affected high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory media. The researchers found that the virus was killed after 5 minutes at 70°C (158°F).

One study in Applied Physics Letters used mathematical modeling to predict the effect of different temperatures on SARS-CoV-2. The model estimated that the virus would be killed after an average of 2.5 minutes at 70°C (158°F).

Saunas and Pain Reduction

Saunas have shown tremendous benefit for those suffering from Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease by reducing pain and discomfort.   Similar benefits have been shown with arthritis.

Safe Sauna Use

It is critical to drink plenty of water before, during and after sauna use and excessive use can cause heat stroke. A good rule of thumb is to drink 1 quart of water for every 20 minutes of sauna use. 

Do NOT drink alcohol or use any sauna when drinking alcohol.

Sauna use is contraindicated for any pregnant female and for both sexes if trying to induce pregnancy.   Increased temperature can severely damage a developing fetus.

Sauna use is also contraindicated for those who have recently had a heart attack or stroke!

For maximum benefits based on the research slowly build up to 20 minutes 4 times per week of Traditional Finnish Sauna use with an air temperature of 180 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit.   This specific dosage has been proven by multiple long-term studies to maximize the life extension and health benefits of sauna use.

Keep in mind that saunas are supposed to relax you NOT be a teeth-gritting experience!   Start with short exposures and gradually build time.  If you start to feel dizzy at all – time to get out!

The Importance of Winter Light Exposure!

 

Bright light exposure in winter is important because it helps stabilize circadian rhythms, supports mood and energy and can significantly reduce the risk and severity of winter depression symptoms.

Bright light - particularly in the morning - helps set or reset the brains master clock each day, which tends to drift later in winter due to lower levels of light.

Reduced daylight in winter is linked to lower serotonin levels and disrupted melatonin contributing to seasonal affective disorder and low mood in winter.

Clinical trials show that bright light therapy (10,000 lux in the morning) can bring about remission in 50 -60% of people with seasonal affective disorder.

Newer evidence shows that bright light therapy has significant antidepressant effects in non-seasonal major depression with remission rates substantially higher than controls.

Strategies for Increased Bright Light Exposure

Getting outside first thing in the morning is the best way to increase your bright light exposure - especially on sunny, clear days.  Brightness on a clear, sunny day are often 100,000 lux whereas well-lit indoor home light levels are somewhere between 100 - 500 lux.    Even on cloudy days outdoor light levels are typically close to 2,000 lux.   

Keep in mind that for hundreds of thousands of years humans where outside so bright morning light was a powerful stimulus and light exposure is key for optimal physiology!

For many this is not possible on a regular basis in which case purchasing a 10,000-lux light used for 20 - 30 minutes shortly after waking can be very helpful.   Ideally position the above the head and shining down.   Our eyes have special receptor in the lower eyelids that respond very quickly to overhead bright light.   It is literally like an on and off switch for the brain!   Here is a an excellent 10,000 lux unit:  https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=psdc_13053141_t4_B078KFCN1N

Benefits of Red and Near Infrared Light Exposure

Red and near infrared light are part of the sun's spectrum of light and have big benefits beyond just skin health!   In particular near infrared light directly stimulates increased energy production from the mitochondria in our cells which are responsible for energy production in our cells.   For a complete rundown on Red/Near Infrared Light Therapy check out this previous blogpost:  https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-many-benefits-of-redlight.html 

Winter is the perfect time to take advantage of red/near infrared exposure.   Many clubs now have red/near infrared beds and stand-up booths.