5 Natural Ways to Boost Your Immune System During Hiking Training

Do you worry that endurance training for hiking or mountaineering could make you sick — or worse, more susceptible to catching the coronavirus? It’s a natural fear, given the “common wisdom” that too much exercise makes you prone to colds and other infections. In today’s post, we’ll examine the truth about endurance athletes and immunity. We’ll also talk about five natural ways to boost your immune system.

Do endurance athletes get sick more often?

Decades of research agree: moderate, regular exercise (less than 20 hours a week) has a positive impact on the immune system. It makes you less susceptible to both acute infections (like coronavirus) and chronic disease (like type 2 diabetes).

However, there’s some debate over whether exercising too much or too hard can weaken your immune system. Studies of long-distance runners carried out in the 1980s and 1990s suggested that they caught more upper respiratory illnesses like colds and flu than moderate exercisers.

However, top exercise scientists have recently weighed the bulk of the evidence and reached different conclusions. Some highlights:

• The runners studied were more likely to self-report cold symptoms than the control group. However, when cultured for actual respiratory viruses, both groups had similar rates of infection. This suggests the runners symptoms may be due to allergies or other types of irritation exacerbated by long exercise outside.

• In several studies, endurance athletes showed greater immune reaction to vaccines than moderate exercisers. This would be impossible if their immune systems were compromised.

• Older endurance athletes show less age-related decline in immune function.

The researchers concluded that while long-distance racers do report more upper respiratory symptoms, these shouldn’t necessarily be attributed to exercise itself. Other confounding variables that increase the rate of infection include:

• Airway irritation due to running outside in the presence of pollen, pollution, etc.

• Other training-related stresses (poor sleep and nutrition habits, emotional stress).

• Stresses associated with traveling to races and events (especially flying).

• Increased disease transmission at races and large events.

So what’s the bottom line?

All of this suggests that there’s probably no harm in continuing training during the coronavirus pandemic. Exercising a lot won’t harm your immunity — and could in fact have some benefits. This of course assumes you are otherwise healthy and can social distance during exercise.

These findings also suggest that while exercise itself doesn’t hurt your immune system, it’s important to follow healthy habits during training. Here are some easy and natural ways to boost your immune system during hiking and mountaineering training.

1. Sleep 8 hours a night (at least)

Endurance training takes a lot of time, and too many athletes borrow that time from sleep. While going to bed an hour later may seem harmless, being constantly sleep-deprived will eventually catch up with you and hurt your health and performance.

When you sleep, your body manufacturers proteins called cytokines that target infections and play an important rule in the immune response. (The “cytokine storm” experienced in some severe cases of Covid-19 happens when the immune system overreacts to the virus.)

But for the most part, cytokines are essential to keeping us healthy and fighting off bacteria and viruses. People with poor sleep habits actually show a weaker response to the flu vaccine and develop fewer antibodies due to decreased cytokine levels.

To ensure proper immune function, it’s therefore important to get plenty of high-quality sleep. For endurance athletes, this generally means 8–10 hours per night.

2. Eat a nutrient-rich diet

Many nutrients like zinc and vitamin C can help to boost immunity, but it’s probably not as simple as popping a supplement. Nutrients likely react with one another in ways we haven’t discovered yet. So when eating for immunity, your best bet is to eat a variety of foods.

Certain foods are richer in vitamins and minerals than others. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains tend to be nutrient dense. Starchy veggies are an exception to this rule, because they contain fewer nutrients. So enjoy white potato products and corn chips in moderation.

Ideally, food should be eaten fresh or frozen. Unfortunately, time-starved endurance athletes often reach for frozen convenience foods or packaged snacks.

If you live on microwavable meals, keep in mind that processing tends to reduce the nutritional content of food. This can lead you to consume a lot of calories without getting much nutritional benefit. One of the best things you can do for your immunity, athletic performance, and overall health is to learn to cook.

You can read more about diet and endurance training in my sports nutrition post.

3. Drink alcohol in moderation

If you’re a daily drinker (or close), you’re probably catching more respiratory illnesses than nondrinkers, according to Dr. K. V. Narayanan Menon, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

I’m constantly surprised by how many endurance athletes also struggle with overdrinking. I’ve blogged openly about my own struggles with alcohol, so it’s possible they feel comfortable opening up to me! I also live in Colorado, a state where both endurance training and drinking are ways of life.

Some tips for overdrinkers:

• Some people can cut back or stop drinking on their own, but others need help. Definitely seek professional help if drinking keeps you from functioning.

• Come up with a very strong “why” for why you want to stop or cut back. It could be improving your athletic performance, setting a good example for your kids, being healthy in old age … whatever speaks to and motivates you.

• Realize that in order to drink differently, you’ll need to reprogram your brain’s desire for alcohol, and that this takes some work. The best way to do this is to “allow” urges to drink without drinking.

For more info on how to decrease your desire for alcohol, I strongly recommend checking the work of Brooke Castillo at The Life Coach School. This podcast episode on overdrinking (first of a three-part series) is a great starting point.

4. FLy less

Do you catch a cold every time you fly? Congrats, you’re not alone. Numerous studies have correlated flying with higher rates of upper respiratory infection. While the exact causes are unknown, a number of factors probably play a role by stressing the body:

• Close contact with other people.

• Disruption to sleep and eating rhythms, especially when crossing time zones.

• Hypoxia (lower oxygen levels) due to low cabin pressure. To put things in perspective, airplane cabins are generally pressurized to 75% of sea level, or an elevation of 8,000 ft. That’s like spending a few hours in one of Colorado’s higher mountain downs, which is plenty to make many visitors feel sick.

• Dehydration, because about half of all cabin air comes from outside, and at 30,000+ feet, it’s extremely dry.

As I write this in May 2020, many people are voluntarily limiting air travel due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, taking fewer and shorter flights can give your immune system a boost at any time.

If you do fly, you can take some steps to protect yourself:

• Hydrate well

• Bring along some healthy food and eat it on your regular schedule.

• For long-haul flights, try to adjust your daily schedule to your destination a few days ahead of time. (This could mean staying up late or getting up early.)

• For adventure travel, plan your flight so that you have a day or two to recover and readjust before your trip.

5. Be alert on group outings

While it doesn’t technically “boost” your immune system, social distancing can reduce your risk of infection. This appears to be true with coronaviruses, flu viruses, and most other respiratory viruses.

However, as the pandemic runs its course, you may have opportunities to recreate with others. These could include group hikes, races, and guided trips.

Keep in mind that just because a trip or race is happening doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea to attend. As we can see every day on the news, governments are under economic and political pressure to reopen before they’ve established meaningful disease surveillance. So definitely do your homework and make the right decision for yourself and your family.

Useful resources for Covid-19 public health info include:

• CDC (United States) or your national public health authority

• WHO

• Many state and local health departments

It’s also a good idea to check in with your guide or tour operator about what precautions they will take. For example:

• Will participants be social distanced (for example, in separate tents?)

• How will meals be handled?

• Will they operator provide hand sanitizer and washing stations in remote areas?

• What steps are they taking to protect staff?

• What is the trip cancellation policy in the event of a Covid-19 surge or lockdown?

Finally, never rely on the guide or tour operator to look out for your health. While you hope this will happen, you can’t count on it. Travel with anything you decide that you need in order to be safe, whether it’s hand sanitizer, your own food and eating utensils, or a separate tent.

Need help making your Quarantine training plan?

My FREE Training Plan Workbook walks you through a simple, six-step process to help you design a fitness program that gets results. Fill out the form below to get your copy.

So there you have ‘em. Five natural ways to boost your immune system and stay healthy during hiking training and travel.

Need help with your quarantine training and travel? Hop in the Facebook Group for advice and support.

Originally published May 26, 2020.