Returning Back To Training After Covid-19…. Safely!
Hot topic at the moment, and an important one!
In this post I am going to cover my own experience briefly, what "LongCovid19" is, recommendations for returning back to exercise and what to do if things aren't going according to plan.
I did a Instagram Live Talk with Dr. Tamara from DISC Dubai, you can click HERE to listen to it - or continue reading.
Besides from my own experience with COVID19, I have assisted quite a few of my clients returning back to training and done some digging in the research that is available. Most of it is at this current moment only based of case studies and observations from medical professionals around the world.
When talking about recommendations, it’s Important to remember:
It’s all very new, and there is not much research on this area, and we do not yet have good evidence for what is going on.
It’s also important to mention, most people recover completely within a few weeks, not everyone experiences the following complications it is still advised to take it easy when returning back to training and sports, better safe than sorry.
My Dance With Covid:
I caught it in January 2021 over 19 days after returning back to Dubai from holidays in Iceland. So most likely caught it here, while working from home, only seeing my closest covid bobble of friends, avoiding public places, spending most my time in the mountains…. and all that. I have really been doing my thing of being responsible in this pandemic for my clients and my own safety.
Decided to get tested after felt my chest tight, and irritated cough with deep breaths. Little later same night I developed low grade fever and pretty bad body aches and heavy back pain. Those symptoms lasted for about 3-4 days and just lounged on the couch watched a lot of Netflix, drank some ginger, turmeric and lemon juice and loads of water. I was lucky, consider these mild symptoms and “only” lost my taste and smell for about 24 hours. (of course it was the same night when I had actually put in some effort got of the couch, and waited 8 hours on a chilli con carne cooking in my Nutripot)
As strange as it sounds I was super excited to run a little science project on myself. I like to challenge my body and take on this task for my immune system and do a little Case Study on myself. So I proceeded with taking temperatures 2-3x pr day, tracking my recovery with WOOP and logging my symptoms over the next days (still actually am).
I am not gonna bore you with all the details though…..
But with the knowledge of the virus, and its complications, I gave my body time to recover and took completely 14 days of any training, only slight movement and stretches.
It’s now been over a month when writing this, and I would say I’m back to about 90%
I am not back to full training schedule, and I still need to be very careful of how much intensity I do in my training. It has been a very slow and strange time ramping up my training again. My body has had a hard time recovering from some of the sessions, and I have made sure to keep the intensity low enough for it to do so. To not overload and cause any further issues.
How did this slow recovery feel like?
First training COVID just a 30 min slow jog on tarmac left me super sore and tired for a few days, I would wake up in the morning after 8.5-9 hour sleep feeling exhausted. As a reference the week before I caught COVID I casually jogged 21 km on trails and hills and felt no issues, tiredness or fatigue the following day woke up and did a hard Crossfit session.
Another way this slow recovery presented itself is for example the first time I did a crossfit session, I swear I found muscles I didn't know I had..... and got to feel those aching for about 5-6 days witch is way longer than any normal muscle soreness usually lasts.
But Who Should Be Careful?
Sometimes, to make things simple I Wish I could divide people into mild and severe symptoms while they had active infection. But it comes to training recommendations, some people - even those who had mild versions of the disease continue to experience symptoms after their initial recovery.
A factor called viral fatigue seems to be a huge factor, that weakens the immune system and makes recovery slow and prolonged.
This condition of prolonged symptoms has been called post-COVID-19 syndrome or "long COVID-19."
This is a condition that affects all ages even young, otherwise healthy people feel unwell for weeks to months after infection. The most common signs and symptoms that linger over time include:
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Cough
Joint pain
Chest pain
Other long-term signs and symptoms may include:
Muscle pain or headache
Fast or pounding heartbeat
Loss of smell or taste
Memory, concentration or sleep problems
Rash or hair loss
And most severe complications include, organ and tissue damage of Heart, Lungs, Brain (strokes) and Blood clot and blood vessel problems with further medical complication.
This is why I can not stress enough that it’s important if you are feeling unwell and unlike yourself, to consult a medical professional and get tested to avoid any complications.
Don´t forget the Mental Side
Many people also seem to have problems with mood and fatigue after recovering. And it is scary, we have lived in such strange world for the past year due to this virus, that you, once you have a positive test are now isolated with.
For some the whole isolation for longer time can be hard, so can the post recovery face be, when people are slightly scared of you and see you as an "infected" person and avoid contact with you.
Not to mention if you get hit harder with symptoms, developing complication or needing medical attention. Simply surviving this experience can make a person more likely to later develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety.
Good talk with a friend about your feelings can help, and it is important to talk out loud about this and not sit alone with the shame and disconnect. If you are struggling or can’t seem to just shake it off, do consider talking to a therapist or a professional to help you.
How and When To Return to training:
If you experienced mild illness or no symptoms you need to take precautions before exercising again. If you had more severe symptoms ask your medical professional for clearance before jumping back to it. The General recommendations are:
Don’t exercise if you’re still sick. Do not exercise if you have active symptoms, including a fever, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath at rest, or palpitations.
Slowly return to exercise. Take it easy first few sessions, Even if you had only mild symptoms. You should have at least seven days with no symptoms before returning to exercise. Start at just 50 percent of normal intensity. Then increase gradually, stepwise and slowly back to full volume and intensity.
Listen To Your Body: you know your own body better than anyone else. You know how you normally feel when you wake up, walk up the stairs, when you run, when you bike. If you’ve had Covid19, are those things harder for you? if yes, then take it easy.
Stop exercise if symptoms return. If you develop symptoms after exercising, including chest pain, rash, fever, palpitations or shortness of breath, or other infections such as gastritis or a head cold see a doctor.
IF YOU run into problems: and experienced chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue during your illness, you should see a medical professional before restarting sports activity.
Worth mentioning even if you’ve never been diagnosed with Covid-19, be mindful of how you are feeling. Many people with Covid-19 are completely asymptotic and don’t know they have it, or may just have general symptoms like gastrointestinal upset, fatigue or muscle aches. So if you’ve been feeling “off” during exercise, or having more muscle pain than usual, listen to your body, ease up and check with a medical professional.
Move forward with ease, even if it takes you a bit longer.
-its better being safe than sorry
#justkeepswimming
