Health benefits of riding.



B

Bill Baka

Guest
Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
food poisoning again, from a food truck at work). Other times when
everyone else is down and out I just notice that "Geesh, this hill
got steeper" or something like that. Maybe I will only ride 20 miles
instead of 50 before getting tired/bored(?)/demotivated, but I don't
get sick or bedridden like everyone else.
It could be one of 3 things.
1. Riding and staying in shape.
2. Lucky genes inherited.
3. Not being a germaphobe. I drink out of irrigation canals and mountain
streams and never worry about it so I may be just flexing my
immune system a bit more than others.
Number 3 not recommended for anyone else.
Thoughts?
Bill Baka
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Zoot Katz wrote:
> Wed, 29 Sep 2004 15:17:23 -0700, <[email protected]>,
> Bill Baka <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>It could be one of 3 things.
>>1. Riding and staying in shape.
>>2. Lucky genes inherited.
>>3. Not being a germaphobe.

>
>
> It's picking your nose and eating the boogers that boosts your immune
> system.
>
> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_903083.html


Okay, that was just WAY too much information.

Ewwwww.

-km

--
no sig on this machine
 
"Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote: It's picking your nose and
eating the boogers that boosts your immune system.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's clear to me that eating boogers has impaired the good doctor's critical
faculties.
 
Thu, 30 Sep 2004 00:03:46 GMT,
<[email protected]>, "Leo
Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>It's clear to me that eating boogers has impaired the good doctor's critical
>faculties.


Possibly just the picking action caused a cranial cave in.
--
zk
 
Bill Baka wrote:
>
> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work). Other times when
> everyone else is down and out I just notice that "Geesh, this hill
> got steeper" or something like that. Maybe I will only ride 20 miles
> instead of 50 before getting tired/bored(?)/demotivated, but I don't
> get sick or bedridden like everyone else.
> It could be one of 3 things.
> 1. Riding and staying in shape.
> 2. Lucky genes inherited.
> 3. Not being a germaphobe. I drink out of irrigation canals and mountain
> streams and never worry about it so I may be just flexing my
> immune system a bit more than others.
> Number 3 not recommended for anyone else.
> Thoughts?
> Bill Baka


Re: #3, I've had giardia, and definitely DON'T recommend it.

I wonder if part of it's not just cleaning out lungs (via deep
breathing) and nose (use your imagination) regularly, getting the stuff
out of the body before it can get a good hold. Oh, and drinking lots of
water. ;)

Pat
 
Pat Lamb said:
Bill Baka wrote:
>
> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work). Other times when
> everyone else is down and out I just notice that "Geesh, this hill
> got steeper" or something like that. Maybe I will only ride 20 miles
> instead of 50 before getting tired/bored(?)/demotivated, but I don't
> get sick or bedridden like everyone else.
> It could be one of 3 things.
> 1. Riding and staying in shape.
> 2. Lucky genes inherited.
> 3. Not being a germaphobe. I drink out of irrigation canals and mountain
> streams and never worry about it so I may be just flexing my
> immune system a bit more than others.
> Number 3 not recommended for anyone else.
> Thoughts?
> Bill Baka


Re: #3, I've had giardia, and definitely DON'T recommend it.

I wonder if part of it's not just cleaning out lungs (via deep
breathing) and nose (use your imagination) regularly, getting the stuff
out of the body before it can get a good hold. Oh, and drinking lots of
water. ;)

Pat
Could be there is some truth in both thoughts. The exercise increases health and immunity, and possibly being exposed to some pathogens at a low level could result in an immunity boost as well. We handle our horses on a daily basis, sometimes with Mickey D fries in one hand and a grooming brush in the other. We rarely get sick. Most of the stuff we do get comes from the 4-H kids we work with. The stuff they bring home from school. We've been exposed to some pretty nasty stuff that made other people really sick and we stayed well, or had very mild syptoms.

'bent Brian
 
A couple of musings on this:

1) genetics- the folks who are stronger are the ones who exersize-
because they can handle the stress of training

2) there is a training/health curve where for certain amounts of
training health increases. But at at some point while athletic fitness
still increases with increases in training "health" diminishes. In my
own experience every time I have gotten to my absolute personal best
level of competitive fitness I got sick. It is hard to stay "just to
the left" of that point.
 
Bill Baka <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work).


I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every five
years or so. Fantastic!

Cheers,
dkl
 
30 Sep 2004 22:34:52 -0700,
<[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Douglas Landau) wrote:

>I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
>at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every five
>years or so. Fantastic!


The biggest difference I noticed after returning to riding was not
being subjected to effects of SAD. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
I can ride all year so I do and it's had a profound effect on my mood.
--
zk
 
"Pat Lamb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I wonder if part of it's not just cleaning out lungs (via deep
> breathing) and nose (use your imagination) regularly, getting the stuff
> out of the body before it can get a good hold.


I really think this is it -- it's the constant stuff out of the nose and
lungs, and even, if your eyes water while riding, out of your eyes, too.


--
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On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 01:29:38 -0700, Zoot Katz wrote:
> 30 Sep 2004 22:34:52 -0700,
><[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Douglas Landau) wrote:
>
>>I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
>>at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every five
>>years or so. Fantastic!

>
> The biggest difference I noticed after returning to riding was not
> being subjected to effects of SAD. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
> I can ride all year so I do and it's had a profound effect on my mood.


Yeah with the current job market I'm depressed all the time. ;-) Sorry
I'm in telecom.

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http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog
 
On 30 Sep 2004 22:34:52 -0700, Douglas Landau <[email protected]> wrote:

> Bill Baka <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
>> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
>> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
>> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
>> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
>> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work).

>
> I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
> at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every five
> years or so. Fantastic!
>
> Cheers,
> dkl


Another thing that helps (in my case) is the ability to hold my breath for
up to about 20 seconds even while riding somewhat hard, just to get past
a cloud of dust, smoke or diesel fumes. I can cruise at about 15 while
barely breathing hard so the excess lung capacity is a blessing. 12 MPH
and I don't even use my mouth, nose breathing only. As I said before, my
legs are my limiting factor, so maybe running is in my winter plans.
Stay Healthy,
Bill Baka


--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
On 30 Sep 2004 22:34:52 -0700, Douglas Landau <[email protected]> wrote:

> Bill Baka <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
>> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
>> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
>> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
>> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
>> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work).

>
> I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
> at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every five
> years or so. Fantastic!
>
> Cheers,
> dkl


Another thing that helps (in my case) is the ability to hold my breath for
up to about 20 seconds even while riding somewhat hard, just to get past
a cloud of dust, smoke or diesel fumes. I can cruise at about 15 while
barely breathing hard so the excess lung capacity is a blessing. 12 MPH
and I don't even use my mouth, nose breathing only. As I said before, my
legs are my limiting factor, so maybe running is in my winter plans.
Stay Healthy,
Bill Baka


--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
I generally get a flu shot,so i don't get the flu. I realized a few years
ago that being sick for two weeks and looking like something from Auschwitz
for another two weeks is just not worth it- I'll pay 20 bucks for the shot.
I figure it saves me money on medicine, time off and possibly antibioticsif
I get some kind of sinus infection.

As for colds I also don't get more than one cold a year, usually in late
winter. I've been like that for years. However, this past winter, there was
a particularly virulent strain of cold that was almost like the flu and I
was sick for two weeks. Did anyone else get that one? It was horrible.
Usually it lasts about 5 days but this one was like the pneumonic plague. I
couldn't get out of bed for three days. I remember it was around valentine's
day because it was when Pantani died and I watched old Giro tapes while
hacking and coughing on the couch.

This winter was unusual,though, because two weeks after I got over that
cold, I wound up in the hospital for emergency abdominal surgery. That
doesn't really have anything to do with immunity, but it is sure unusuale
for me to spend half the winter recovering from something. However,if you're
going to have surgery, better to have it in the dead of wintiter. By the
time spring came along, I was pretty much recovered. But shite, what a
winter- i really did end up looking like something from Auschwitz.
"Bill Baka" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:eek:[email protected]...
> On 30 Sep 2004 22:34:52 -0700, Douglas Landau <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Bill Baka <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:<[email protected]>...
> >> Is it just me or does anyone else on this group notice that they almost
> >> never get 'sick'. All the riding/exercise/fitness seems to boost the
> >> immune system somehow. Everytime there is some new bug going around
> >> I never get it. I have only been down for the count 3 times in 25+
> >> years, 1977 (food poisoning), 1978 (flu, 106 temp), 1986 (Salmonella,
> >> food poisoning again, from a food truck at work).

> >
> > I agree. Before riding I used to get a couple of sore throats per year,
> > at least one in the fall and one in the spring. Now I get one every

five
> > years or so. Fantastic!
> >
> > Cheers,
> > dkl

>
> Another thing that helps (in my case) is the ability to hold my breath for
> up to about 20 seconds even while riding somewhat hard, just to get past
> a cloud of dust, smoke or diesel fumes. I can cruise at about 15 while
> barely breathing hard so the excess lung capacity is a blessing. 12 MPH
> and I don't even use my mouth, nose breathing only. As I said before, my
> legs are my limiting factor, so maybe running is in my winter plans.
> Stay Healthy,
> Bill Baka
>
>
> --
> Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
>Subject: Re: Health benefits of riding.
>From: "Marlene Blanshay" [email protected]
>Date: 10/2/2004 12:19 PM US Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <[email protected]>
>
>I generally get a flu shot,so i don't get the flu. I realized a few years
>ago that being sick for two weeks and looking like something from Auschwitz
>for another two weeks is just not worth it- I'll pay 20 bucks for the shot.
>I figure it saves me money on medicine, time off and possibly antibioticsif
>I get some kind of sinus infection.
>
>As for colds I also don't get more than one cold a year, usually in late
>winter. I've been like that for years. However, this past winter, there was
>a particularly virulent strain of cold that was almost like the flu and I
>was sick for two weeks. Did anyone else get that one? It was horrible.
>Usually it lasts about 5 days but this one was like the pneumonic plague. I
>couldn't get out of bed for three days. I remember it was around valentine's
>day because it was when Pantani died and I watched old Giro tapes while
>hacking and coughing on the couch.
>
>This winter was unusual,though, because two weeks after I got over that
>cold, I wound up in the hospital for emergency abdominal surgery. That
>doesn't really have anything to do with immunity, but it is sure unusuale
>for me to spend half the winter recovering from something. However,if you're
>going to have surgery, better to have it in the dead of wintiter. By the
>time spring came along, I was pretty much recovered. But shite, what a
>winter- i really did end up looking like something from Auschwitz.


Sounds like you need better nutrition and more exercise and fresh air.
I never get sick hardly, don't believe in flu shots for healthy people either.
Usually if I get sick I take off a day or two and sleep, sleep, sleep.
I have NEVER been sick for 2 weeks!
 
Fx199 wrote:
>>Subject: Re: Health benefits of riding.
>>From: "Marlene Blanshay" [email protected]
>>Date: 10/2/2004 12:19 PM US Eastern Standard Time
>>Message-id: <[email protected]>
>>

--snippity--
>>As for colds I also don't get more than one cold a year, usually in late
>>winter. I've been like that for years. However, this past winter, there was
>>a particularly virulent strain of cold that was almost like the flu and I
>>was sick for two weeks. Did anyone else get that one? It was horrible.
>>Usually it lasts about 5 days but this one was like the pneumonic plague. I
>>couldn't get out of bed for three days. I remember it was around valentine's
>>day because it was when Pantani died and I watched old Giro tapes while
>>hacking and coughing on the couch.

--snippity--
> Sounds like you need better nutrition and more exercise and fresh air.
> I never get sick hardly, don't believe in flu shots for healthy people either.
> Usually if I get sick I take off a day or two and sleep, sleep, sleep.
> I have NEVER been sick for 2 weeks!


You've never had the flu, then.

-km
 
>nyroc.rr.com>
>
>Fx199 wrote:
>>>Subject: Re: Health benefits of riding.
>>>From: "Marlene Blanshay" [email protected]
>>>Date: 10/2/2004 12:19 PM US Eastern Standard Time
>>>Message-id: <[email protected]>
>>>

>--snippity--
>>>As for colds I also don't get more than one cold a year, usually in late
>>>winter. I've been like that for years. However, this past winter, there was
>>>a particularly virulent strain of cold that was almost like the flu and I
>>>was sick for two weeks. Did anyone else get that one? It was horrible.
>>>Usually it lasts about 5 days but this one was like the pneumonic plague. I
>>>couldn't get out of bed for three days. I remember it was around

>valentine's
>>>day because it was when Pantani died and I watched old Giro tapes while
>>>hacking and coughing on the couch.

>--snippity--
>> Sounds like you need better nutrition and more exercise and fresh air.
>> I never get sick hardly, don't believe in flu shots for healthy people

>either.
>> Usually if I get sick I take off a day or two and sleep, sleep, sleep.
>> I have NEVER been sick for 2 weeks!

>
>You've never had the flu, then.
>
>-km


If I did, I kicked it in a couple days.
Maybe it's because I never got a flu shot either.
 

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