working out when sick?

Snowbunny95
Snowbunny95 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Happy 2011! Hope we are all on the right track and the New Years gave us a bit more motivation!

The issue I've been having lately. Seems I've been getting sick more than usual. Right now I'm home from work b/c I woke up with a terrible sore throat and a stabbing in my ear (damn Eustachian tube!). Anywho, since I've been since since last Friday night, I have not really been able to get to the gym to do any exercising (let alone outside!). I missed my weekend skiing (huge workout) and am feeling just generally BLAH!

Some of the trouble has been staying under my calories 'cuz as everyone knows when you are sick, you want comfort food ;) However, I am most concerned about my working out. I don't want to feel like I'm falling off the wagon and/or not getting my exercise in.

How does everyone here handle it when they are sick and can't workout? I am not comfortable going to the gym at the Rec Center or even the one in my complex and coughing and sneezing all over the equipment or other people!

Replies

  • eleanoreb
    eleanoreb Posts: 621 Member
    i had the exact same problem! was sick for a couple of days and then had a huge cold and was ahving trouble staying under my calories.

    I decided to do noe xcercise till i felt a bit better and then tried to do 20 minutes a day if possible after that. If you strain your body while sick it will just take your body longer to recover. If you go over for a couple days dont worry about it and just try and get better
  • armywifeinpink
    armywifeinpink Posts: 39
    Got netflix????
    If you do, just search for either pilates or yoga and just do some good stretching and relaxing, can get you loose and make you feel a little bit better and also wont let your muscle get sore and stiff so when you are better to go to the gym you wont be hurting as bad :)...get better soon!!!!
  • shaunfleming
    shaunfleming Posts: 6
    I think the general rule of thumb is that if sickness is above the neck then excercising is fine but if it is below the neck (chest cold, flu) then excercising will actually make things worse.
  • Creiche
    Creiche Posts: 264 Member
    You should definitely listen to your body when sick because you could easily prolong the illness if you push too hard. Personally, I stopped doing P90X last year when I got really sick (I tried to keep working out, but stopped after almost passing out 10 mins into it one day), but managed to stay under my daily calories. Get lots of sleep, drink a lot of water, and try to eat healthy and not overdo the comfort foods...those things will help your body fight the bug faster, and are things you'd be doing anything to help with weight loss!

    Edit: Just saw the post above mine, which I agree with. A chest cold/flu will interfere with your body getting enough oxygen, but I can generally continue working out with a head cold. I'd take a break while having a sore throat though as breathing hard would just be incredibly painful.
  • vanzeem
    vanzeem Posts: 107
    Sometimes when i'm sick (depending on what it is), i feel better after exercising. I think sometimes it just needs to get worked out of our bodies. Maybe try a simple walking work out or yoga... and don't beat yourself up if you can't finish it!! Hope you get feeling better!!
  • Snowbunny95
    Snowbunny95 Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks all! I was just feeling so bad that I can't workout. But I like the idea of above/blow the neck. Guess when the throat isn't too bad, I'll try to get some exercise in. Most of mine is above the neck. Sometimes I think I'm drinking so much fluid I'm gonna float away! :)

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