Exercising while sick?

meridianova
meridianova Posts: 438 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just got back from 4 days out of town, and a cold managed to tuck itself away in my carry-on bags. My nose is stuffy and I've got that "out of it" mental fog.

Should I still be going to the gym with this? My normal workout is circuit/weight training (alternating whole body and focused abs work) with 30 minutes of cardio. Yesterday I shortened my cardio to 10 minutes but went at a higher pace than usual.

Do any of you exercise while you're sick? Or do you take some time off to recover, then go back to the gym?

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I just got back from 4 days out of town, and a cold managed to tuck itself away in my carry-on bags. My nose is stuffy and I've got that "out of it" mental fog.

    Should I still be going to the gym with this? My normal workout is circuit/weight training (alternating whole body and focused abs work) with 30 minutes of cardio. Yesterday I shortened my cardio to 10 minutes but went at a higher pace than usual.

    Do any of you exercise while you're sick? Or do you take some time off to recover, then go back to the gym?

    I'm no doctor, but the rule I've always followed (but can't remember where I heard) is... if the congestion is in your head, go ahead and work out. If the congestion is in your chest, better to wait until it clears up.

    Having said that, if you feel really run down, I always take that as my body asking for rest and I replace my workout with a nap!

    Feel better...
  • bugaboo_sue
    bugaboo_sue Posts: 552 Member
    No. For the love of all things good please, please, please do not go to the gym sick! Stay home and get well. Not only will your body thank you but so will all your fellow gym go-ers who won't be subjected to your coughing, sniffing, sneezing and hacking everywhere.

    Please. Just stay home!:flowerforyou:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I personally hate it when people show up sick to my gym and spread their nasty **** around for me to take home to my family and whatnot...

    I generally take time to let my body rest...if I just have a little cold or whatever then no big deal...but if I'm hacking up **** and very obviously ill, I'm considerate enough to stay away from the general public as much as possible.

    Also, rest and recovery are good for you...
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    My rule of thumb is that if I am sick enough to call off work, I'm too sick to workout. Otherwise the workout generally makes me feel better. Colds, allergies, sinus congestion = I workout. Flu, vomiting, gastrointestinal issues = I take the day off.
  • SlimMe37
    SlimMe37 Posts: 133 Member
    I would stay home with my germs and focus on getting better x
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
    Fever? Stay home because you are more than likely contagious and that's just mean to everyone else trying to get a workout in. No fever? Give it a try, but listen to your body and don't push yourself too hard.

    Hope you feel better soon! :flowerforyou:

    ETA: I'm dumb.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    No. For the love of all things good please, please, please do not go to the gym sick! Stay home and get well. Not only will your body thank you but so will all your fellow gym go-ers who won't be subjected to your coughing, sniffing, sneezing and hacking everywhere.

    Please. Just stay home!:flowerforyou:
    ^THIS

    First time I've agreed with you.
  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
    I personally hate it when people show up sick to my gym and spread their nasty **** around for me to take home to my family and whatnot...
    i hate it when my 4 year old brings home germs from daycare... i never know if it's that one in 630-some-odd variations of the cold i've already had and am now immune to.
    I generally take time to let my body rest...if I just have a little cold or whatever then no big deal...but if I'm hacking up **** and very obviously ill, I'm considerate enough to stay away from the general public as much as possible.

    Also, rest and recovery are good for you...

    right now, my nose is just stuffy and i feel run down. i'm not hacking anything up, no fever (i RARELY run fevers, and if i am my *kitten* is going to the hospital NOW), no stomach problems. i don't want to lose the progress i've made at the gym so far, and going is important to me. my weight loss is so sluggish that i'm half afraid that not going would bring me to a stubborn halt no matter how little i eat.

    but yeah... my rule of thumb is that if i can't make it through my shower in the morning, i stay home sick. at that point i wouldn't even think of going to the gym... i stay in bed and sleep.

    thanks for the good wishes... hopefully this will go away soon.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Definitely stay out of the gym and avoid spreading those germs to others. :tongue:

    My own rule when feeling sick is rest rest rest. I find that getting as much rest as possible either derails or at least shortens the illness and gets me back to 100% much quicker.

    If you feel that really want to exercise, do something at home - there are plenty of free online workouts you could try (FitnessBlender.com is a good place to start). Yoga, stretching, body weight exercises if you have no home equipment, but take it easy and don't push too hard. Your body is trying to fend off illness, so beating it down with hard exercise won't help.

    Hope you feel better soon!

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