Preparing to get Coronavirus—A practical review of our philosophy
We wrote a blog a while back called “Taking our power back from Coronavirus.” In it, we talked about making empowering self-care decisions during lockdown periods, and we introduced a novel strategy: Prepare to get the virus.
Well, since then, one of us (Scott) actually got Coronavirus, and despite being in a vulnerable group (having chronic heart disease) he survived the ordeal quite well. So, although we are not doctors, and you should not view any of this as medical advice—we thought we’d do a practical review of our philosophy, and how it worked.
Pre-virus philosophy
As we mentioned in our earlier blog, we know that the older population is more vulnerable, and we also know that people who are obese or have other chronic diseases are more likely to have complications. There is some newer research that points to insulin resistance as the main factor in these cases, as the immune system is affected negatively. This illustrates why a low carb/high-fat approach to nutrition has been shown in research studies to be an effective tool against Coronavirus. Scott follows a “low carb-ish” diet—keeping carbs in the 100-200g range and staying away from higher glycemic foods that spike the insulin.
We also know that Vitamin D deficiency is a common factor in fatal cases. This is an easy base for everyone to cover, and Scott has been taking Vitamin D religiously since the first lockdown period last Spring. Moderate exercise has been a proven immune system booster in scientific research. Scott adopted the philosophy that getting out and running, or run/walking at least three times a week is essential to maintain strong, healthy lungs. As we’ve covered in other blogs, Scott is a big believer in high-frequency training, or Microworkouts—shorter workouts that you do throughout the day to build volume, but that are not so intense. Super high-intensity workouts that really whack you, are also giving your immune system a whack--so a less intense approach is ideal for overall health. Scott also has been practicing the Wim Hof Breathing Method and cold water immersion for three months previous to testing positive for Coronavirus. There is a growing body of research that shows the immune system boosting properties of these techniques.
A practical review—how did it work?
Scott had a fever for two days, followed by a sore throat and subsequent lung congestion. The congestion never developed into shortness of breath. After six days, most of his symptoms were gone. So, for someone that was technically in a “vulnerable group” because of his heart disease history—that was a pretty good result. Once he had a sore throat, he also drank as much hot herbal tea as possible—having read that it was possible to wash Coronavirus down the digestive tract and lessen the effects on the lungs. Others have debated this idea—but certainly drinking warm tea didn’t hurt—and it also alleviated the sore throat discomfort. This may be common sense, but he also slept as much as possible—which was a lot—nine hours a night, plus two to three naps during the day of 30 minutes to one hour duration.
To summarize, we believe our “Plan to get sick” philosophy was a good one. The basic plan is as follows:
Supplement with Vitamin D3
Eat a diverse, lower carb diet, especially if you know you are insulin resistant
Get regular moderate exercise that includes cardiovascular training
Do breathing exercises, like the Wim Hof Method
Get enough sleep—at least seven hours per night
If you need some help with any of these things, reach out to us. We’d love to help.
Until next time,
Scott & Lennart