Exercising when sick

ConnieM20

I'm recovering from a cold and I took the past 2 days off from exercising. Right now the only symptom I still have is a runny/sniffly nose. I was wondering if I work out tomorrow will it make me feel sicker or is it ok? And I've heard that exercising can help you recover faster..I wonder if this is true or not. Sorry if this question is dumb, but I've always wondered...

scottb81

The rule of thumb is if you are sick above the neck then exercise is ok. If you are sick in the chest then rest and cure it first.

theoneandonlybrookie

Double post.

theoneandonlybrookie

I agree with the first poster. Obviously if you have a stomach flu or chest cold, exercising would be very uncomfortable anyway. If you have a fever, I would take that as a sign that your body needs rest while it tries to heal itself.

I get multiple sinus infections each year (yay!), and my doctor told me that I was free to run as soon as I had enough energy to do so. And he also mentioned that exercise can help clear things up.

bert16

I'll third the motion - with just a head cold, you're good to go!

ConnieM20

The rule of thumb is if you are sick above the neck then exercise is ok. If you are sick in the chest then rest and cure it first.

ok thank you!

ConnieM20

I agree with the first poster. Obviously if you have a stomach flu or chest cold, exercising would be very uncomfortable anyway. If you have a fever, I would take that as a sign that your body needs rest while it tries to heal itself.

I get multiple sinus infections each year (yay!), and my doctor told me that I was free to run as soon as I had enough energy to do so. And he also mentioned that exercise can help clear things up.

yea, i guess hitting the pavement makes all the snot run out haha jk. now that i know exercising helps you when sick it makes me wonder how many people at the gym are spreading germs O.o

irongirl73

I generally follow the rule of, if I have to take antibiotics, then I don't work out until they're done. So, colds I work through!

gonzang

I echo the "above the neck" idea. I had a cold this past week, and it took serious pushing to make myself work out. But I felt better after every session. Seemed to open up my airways. I wouldn't have done it if I had had a stomach bug or bronchitis.

LiannaJo

Me, personally, I never feel great working out while I'm sick. To me, it just makes the workout feel like eternity. So, I just take a break until I'm well again (remember, the body bounces back to where it was in no time, even with just 1 week off).