HEALTH THREATS
Volpe spends up to 10 hours a week
commuting by bus and train to and from his
tech job. “There are always people coughing
and sneezing, and rats running around,”
he says. “Once I even saw a guy with his
pants half of and his bare butt on the seat.”
Then there’s the city itself, where poor air
quality increases his risk of respiratory
and cardiovascular disease. A University of
Melbourne study found vehicle emissions
cause 40 per cent more deaths annually
than the road toll. And even Volpe’s indoor
workplace is no haven – his oice has an open
loor plan. In a 2011 Danish survey of 2,400
workers, people in such an environment
took 62 per cent more sick days than those in
individual oices.HEALTH THREATS
Apanovitch is used to being around germ
carriers. He spent four years in a university
lab checking the stool samples of reptiles
and amphibians for stress hormones. (And
you thought your 9-to-5 was tedious.) He’s
now a high school science teacher, but his
contagion risk hasn’t declined because he’s
always around 11- to 13-year-olds.
“Kids tend to have a high level of
contagious viral illnesses and are somewhat
less focused on handwashing and hygiene
etiquette,” says children’s hygiene expert
Jeremy Friedman.
NEVER-GET-SICK STRATEGY
- Work your daily 5-to-9. “Most of my diet is
fruits and vegetables, whatever’s in season,”
says Apanovitch. He avoids processed foods
and even makes his own Greek yoghurt.
“If you’re low on almost any nutrient, your
immune system will not function well,” says
immunologist Dr Simin Nikbin Meydani.
She says eating fad “superfoods” isn’t as
important as getting ive to nine servings
a day of a range of fruits and vegetables,
plus adequate protein, fat and total
kilojoules. Foods with probiotics (good
bacteria), such as Greek yoghurt, can
also promote immunity. - Easy on the beef. “I rarely eat red meat,”
says Apanovitch. Research shows that too
much of it can inlame the lower intestine,
where many immune cells and good gut
bacteria live. Prolonged inlammation of this
type may add to the higher risk of colon cancer
in red-meat eaters, according to a Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences study.
NEVER-GET-SICK STRATEGY- Blend a breakfast blast. Volpe gets up
at 5am and downs a high-antioxidant,
high-protein smoothie of Greek yoghurt,
peanut butter, strawberries, spinach and a
banana. Proteins are essential to the proper
functioning of cells, including cells that
ight disease. Antioxidants in fruits and
vegetables, along with the probiotics
in yoghurt, may also enhance your
immune function. - Exercise 5 days a week, 35-45 minutes.
Being physically active is the most important
lifestyle predictor of taking fewer sick days
in autumn and winter, the riskiest seasons
for illness, says exercise immunology expert
Dr David Nieman. He found that adults who
work out at least ive days a week take 40-50
per cent fewer sick days than once-a-week
(or less) exercisers. That’s why Volpe’s at his
CrossFit box by 5:30am. for an hour-long
class four or ive days a week. “I believe the
best way to keep a strong immune system is
to do something active at least once a day,”
he says. “I try to challenge my body and
break it down a bit [so it rebounds stronger].” - Find your exercise sweet spot. Too much
exercise can have the opposite efect.
Nieman’s research found that inishers of the
Los Angeles Marathon were six times more
likely to get sick in the week following the
event than a control group of marathoners
who didn’t run the event.
“During prolonged and heavy exertion,
your body experiences high inlammation,
oxidative stress, elevated stress hormones,
muscle damage and reduced muscle
glycogen stores,” Nieman says. “Too much
stress on your body can weaken your
immune system.”
So how do you ind the perfect
balance? “There is a huge variance among
individuals,” Nieman says, “and everyone
needs to ind their own sweet spot of
exercise and health.” In general, to gain
immunity points from exercise, he
suggests following Federal government
guidelines of two-and-a-half to ive hours
a week of moderate physical activity. Of
course, if you’re like Volpe, your sweet
spot would be higher.
EVAN
APANOVITCH
JOB
High school
teacher
HEALTH
STREAK
520 classes with
zero substitutesTHE SCIENCE TEACHER
- Drink your polyphenols.Apanovitch
has three to ive alcoholic drinks a week,
“mostly wine or beer.” As for booze’s
immunity payof, the experts have three
big “ifs”: (1) You drink in moderation – two
drinks a day, max; (2) You’re a healthy
adult and in good shape to begin with; and
(3) You stick mainly to red wine or beer,
since both contain the highest levels of
polyphenols, compounds believed to
confer health beneits.
Meet three busy men who, despite having jobs with more
bugs than a free app, never sniffle or hack – BY TOM PICCOLO
2LISTEN TO GUYS WHO NEVER GET SICK
MIKE
VOLPE
JOB
Account managerHEALTH STREAK
In four years,
just one sick dayTHE URBAN EXEC