Working out when sick

SGRhapsodos

is it a good idea to work out when you're sick? I'm very sick today, and it's understandable that I can't go to the gym, but what about if you have a minor cold? I find that it gets worse if I go, and end up missing a whole week of exercise!

HarperGirl85

I always do the "neck up" trick. If I'm just feeling sick from the neck up, I'll do strength training or something where I'm not jumping around or running. If I'm feeling it in my chest though I'll skip the day. I've actually felt better after working out when I have a cold. Sounds odd, I know! But it has helped!

xraychick77

ah..i workout with head colds all the time..sure i feel like crap and my workouts may not be top notch..but it does no harm..and personally, and i mean just for me i've noticed, that when i run with a head cold..that cold is shorter in duration than if i babied myself and rested. i joked with my boss and said i literally ran the cold out of me..

but now if you have a fever or notice its a chest cold then i'd shack up and rest for sure.

runnercheryl

if I have a minor illness, I push through. Anything more, I not only stop exercising but also stop eating healthy. It just a personal preference thing, of course, but I prefer to rest up, enjoy an abundance of junk food and get back to normal once I'm over the illness. If I try to eat well and exercise when I'm ill, I just end up hating the meals, avoiding them, and making myself worse with working out.

I've been ill for about a week now, but very minor. The first day I could only manage a 1 mile run instead of my usual 5k, but then I was back to doing 5ks. This morning, it got quite a bit worse, I did a 3 minute kettlebell workout then gave up. In the past few hours, I've deteriorated more. I'm borderline now for continuing to eat well. If I'm any worse tomorrow, I'll give up until I'm better.

saragato

I get a lot of sinus infections and colds this time of year due to allergies. If I'm going to the gym I make sure to take a Zyrtec and use nasal spray beforehand. Luckily my gym has hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere so if I sneeze or anything I can make sure I'm not spreading my germs.

But for like actual colds or anything more where I'm running enough temperature to actually feel it, I can't breathe out my nose and I'm very fatigued I won't work out. Feeling super crappy doesn't make for good motivation and pushing yourself when the best thing is rest isn't really a good idea. You can try some small stuff and if you feel too bad to go on, then just stop. Like when you work your muscles, your body needs to recuperate and heal from any unpleasantness. Plus I don't think I've ever heard of anyone gaining major weight being in the bed and snorting soup broth for a day or two.

polefitnutritionist

I'm told by all my Dietetics friends at uni that working out while you're ill is perhaps one of the worst things you can do. I'm not sure why this is though, probably because you're spending energy your body needs to recover and dehydrating yourself when your body really needs a lot of fluid. I think it would probably be better to take a few days rest to allow yourself to recover, or at least make sure you're eating plenty and getting a lot of fluids.

mandylooo

I think you have to be able to judge when exercising is actually going to make you feel worse. When we're ill, we need time to rest and recover. Working out whilst ill can just make us iller for longer.