Bawal magkasakit!

It's cold and flu season. For athletes and active people, getting sick is a disaster, derailing training plans and reducing fitness. Here's what you can do to bolster your immune system and stay healthy.

Take a complete multivitamin. Each of the vitamins and minerals contained in that multivitamin contribute toward better body function and stronger immune system. The B-complex vitamins, in particular, enhance immune system function, helping your body to fight off infections.

Listen to your body. Outwardly we may feel strong, but we don't always know what's happening inside our bodies. You may not realize this, but you could already be infected by a cold or flu virus. There's a period of time between exposure to the virus and manifestation of symptoms (between one and four days). The stronger your immune system is, the longer it takes to experience symptoms and the milder those symptoms are. So if you're feeling inexplicably lethargic on a training day, your body's resources may be being diverted to fighting the flu. And if you're already feeling sick, take it easy; you can always train on another day.

Rest and recover. Moderate exercise boosts immune system function, so it's perfectly okay to engage in an hour's worth of exercise most days of the week. However, intense exercise that lasts about 90 minutes or longer causes the body to release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that temporarily suppress the immune system for up to three days after the exercise, making endurance athletes like us more susceptible to infection. You need to get adequate sleep on a daily basis. After heavy training days or competition, you need to schedule recovery where you should do only light workouts or none at all.

These are little things, but they are so important in keeping a healthy balance within your body. Bawal magkasakit!