The last month has been a long one.
I came to the United States to compete, first at the Santa Cruz Pro and then at Janet Layug’s Battle of the Bodies Pro in Florida. Between the competitions there was training, traveling, work, photo shoots and trying to keep everything moving while staying in competition condition.
After Florida, I made one more stop in Mexico City to participate in a podcast. It was a great experience and something a little different for me. I’ll share the YouTube video as soon as it is available.
But apparently my body decided Mexico was also where I finally needed to slow down. 🤧
Today was my first full day feeling sick. I’m resting with some tea and hoping tomorrow I feel better, because I have a very long trip ahead of me: Mexico to Barcelona, and then finally back home to Italy.
Travel can put a lot of stress on the body, especially after weeks of competition prep. I arrived in Mexico City after very little sleep, and the altitude here is more than 2,200 meters. When I woke up, some of the numbers I track were already showing changes from my normal baseline.
I put together a few slides showing what I was seeing this morning and how I approach a situation like this when I still have fitness and competition goals to think about.
My resting heart rate was elevated, my HRV was lower, my skin temperature was above my normal baseline and my blood oxygen was lower than usual. Then came the symptoms.
Hydration is one of the things I pay particular attention to when I’m traveling. Long flights, dry cabin air, changes in altitude, disrupted sleep and the stress of travel can all affect how I feel and recover.
And hydration for me means paying attention to electrolytes as well as water.
Sodium, potassium and magnesium all have important roles in hydration, muscle function and recovery. This becomes something I pay even more attention to when I’m traveling frequently and trying to keep my body performing at a high level.
Right now I’m using VAST Sports Hydro Salt + Electrolytes. I normally use it around travel — before a flight, after arriving and again when I wake up.
If you want to try the same product I use, you can find it at vastsports.eu and use my code ALE.
Then there is the question every athlete eventually asks when getting sick: should I still train?
For me, today the answer is no.
When you’re motivated and focused on a goal, it can be easy to think discipline means following the plan no matter what. But I also have to pay attention to what my body is telling me. If my temperature is elevated, my resting heart rate is unusually high, I have symptoms and I’ve slept badly, forcing a hard workout isn’t going to help me prepare for my next competition.
So today I’m concentrating on recovery: some easy movement if I feel up to it, plenty of fluids and electrolytes, enough protein and carbohydrates, and hopefully a long night of sleep.
A few days of adjusting my training isn’t going to erase the work I’ve done. I want to recover properly so I can get back to productive training as soon as my body is ready.
And I’m definitely ready to get home now. 😅
It has been an intense month. Two competitions in the United States, traveling between cities, training, work, the podcast in Mexico and everything else that comes with trying to maintain this lifestyle while being far away from home.
I’m looking forward to getting back to Italy, sleeping in my own bed and having some time to recover from all of it.
It won’t be a long break. I have another competition coming in a few weeks, and soon my attention will turn toward preparing for the next stage. But right now, getting healthy and recovering from this month comes first.
For tonight, I’m staying on the couch with my tea and hoping tomorrow morning brings some improvement. ❤️🩹
And if you’re working toward your own fitness goals and want help finding the right approach to training, nutrition and recovery for your body and your lifestyle, you can apply for a free consultation with me here.