Exercising while sick???

Muzica1959
Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How dangerous is it to do a workout while you have a cold or bronchitis? I'm talking aerobics and/or walk/run intervals. I've heard different views. Some think it may help push the sickness out. Others say, no way, that one should rest etc. What is your opinion?

Replies

  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    Bronchitis? No way - I follow the neck and up rule. Neck and up, low impact workout, below that, nope. A few days off is not going to hurt you. If you will be doing aerobics at a public location then absolutely not. Be courteous to others.

    Edited because I thought you said water aerobics.
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
    No water aerobics. Just dance aerobics. I've not done a workout since Friday and it's killing me. Didn't realize I could be so addicted to it already but I am truly missing it.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    No water aerobics. Just dance aerobics. I've not done a workout since Friday and it's killing me. Didn't realize I could be so addicted to it already but I am truly missing it.

    Bronchitis is nothing to mess with though. Take a walk if you want, just listen to your body.
  • PDT816
    PDT816 Posts: 6
    Of course, the other question that should be asked is if you have any business working out around others and risking them getting sick.
  • amreadarrens
    amreadarrens Posts: 43 Member
    No way. You have to rest.
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
    At first, I thought this was just allergies since I sat outside in extreme heat while I had a yard sale going for 2 days. Since then it has started to burn when I cough in my upper chest right below my throat. I hope I am wrong but I have had bronchitis a few times and it feels all too familiar.
  • beachylove
    beachylove Posts: 137 Member
    with bronchitis I would take it easy if you want to take a walk that's fine but don't push yourself....last thing you want to do is make yourself worse. If you start to feel worse stop and let your body rest until you are back to feeling better.

    I know how you feel though, once you get used to working out its hard not to.....however I have pushed myself to the point of getting pneumonia and I can say it wasn't worth it ;)
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
    I workout at home. No one other than my husband is around me right now. And even he is at work at the moment.
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    When I had bronchitis last spring I did continue to exercise but I did less. Most weeks I have two or three days where I have double workouts - cardio in the morning, and then strength and cardio in the afternoon. While I was sick I stuck to one workout a day. Often that work out was less intense (as measured by the distance on my stationary bike after 45 minutes).

    If you can exercise without going into a coughing fit, I tend to think it is a good thing. However if it sends you into a coughing fit, or wipes you out too much to do whatever else you need to do during the day, then skip it. I think it really depends on how you feel.

    Missing a few workouts is not going to stall your weight loss if you stick to your calorie goals.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Rest and fluids. Seriously. With my condition pushing myself always makes it worse. MUCH worse.

    I have asthma and allergies. If I get bronchitis if I don't rest I will be down for a lot longer than had I just not exercised and rested. So I exercise and rest. So that it doesn't make me feel 100 years old and needing to sit down after 5 steps.
  • RUNNING_AMOK_1958
    RUNNING_AMOK_1958 Posts: 268 Member
    Usually the rule of thumb for cardio is if it's above the neck and you don't have a fever, it's okay to do cardio (head cold). Below the neck, like bronchitis, no.
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
    Yeah, I've had pneumonia a few times to. No fun. Guess I'll try to behave for a couple more days.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    you can't push the sickness out with exercise, your body simply doesn't work like that.

    Exercising with bronchitis is a bad idea. With a cold, that's usually fine.

    I follow the below the neck rule... if I'm sick below the neck (fever, upset stomach, chest infection or similar) then I don't work out. If it's just above the neck, e.g. cold, headache, stuffy nose, cough (from the throat), sneezing, then i work out.

    Your immune system has a role in recovery from exercise. So if you're sick, and also recovering from exercise, your immune system is basically fighting on two fronts, and that can make it harder for it to fight off the infection, and you'll take longer to recover and possibly make yourself more sick in the process. Also, some symptoms like fever can make exercise risky - your body temperature can rise even higher and you're likely to pass out. And heavy lifting when you have diarrhoea... well let's not just go there with what could happen lol

    Anyway, point being that minor stuff it's okay to exercise, but more severe symptoms you should rest and recover so your immune system can give 100% to kicking virus and bacteria butts.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Pertinent, though not exactly on-point.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12959703.
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
    Well, I appeased myself. I did a very light, short Wii dance workout. Made me feel better for doing a workout. Didn't cough too much until after but still not bad. I have a compromised immune system due to FMS and RA so I guess I'll take it easy until things clear up a bit more. Thanks for the advice, All.

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