sick and the gym

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candacepainter
candacepainter Posts: 115
in Health and Weight Loss
This is probably a stupid question but I'm starting to get a cold (stuffy nose and sore throat) should I rest or keep going to the gym? I feel guilty when I don't go the gym?!?!?!?!

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  • pmjsmom
    pmjsmom Posts: 1,926 Member
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    :smile: From what I've read--its okay to workout if your symptoms are above neck level but if they are below--chest congestion, for example--you should take it easy for a while. It really depends on how you feel, though. Good luck!
  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,221 Member
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    I think you should probably rest but I know how you feel when you don't go. Maybe to lighter exercise than usually.
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    STAY HOME!!!!

    1) Your stressing your body out and it won't fight the virus/infection as well
    2) You will get others sick
  • Miss_Chievous_wechange
    Miss_Chievous_wechange Posts: 1,230 Member
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    Stay home and rest. You certainly do not want to spread your illness to others. Your body is busy fighting the illness and working out will only make it worse.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    I'm going to go the other way here. When I am getting a cold or sore throat, if I work out hard and get a good sweat going, I can generally kick the bug. Your body increases temperature to fight a bug ( fever) so when you work out hard and increase your body temperature, you are mimicking a fever and helping to fight off illness.

    It works for me
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    I'd go to the gym and start slowly. See how you feel. If you feel okay then keep going. If not, then stop.
  • Emilydmo
    Emilydmo Posts: 101
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    A workout can boost your immunity. Just don't push yourself to exhaustion and listen to your body. As someone already mentioned, symptoms above the neck are generally a green light for exercise while anything lower means take it easy. Just be sure to wipe down your machine with disinfectant stuff super good to not spread anything, and I don't see why you can't go! :) I'm with Havingitall - a workout tends to make me kick whatever bug is trying to bring me down!
  • mrsbeck
    mrsbeck Posts: 234 Member
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    I find that exercise helps me fight off sickness. Just don't push too hard. Get your heart rate up, get your body temp up, and then just sustain that for 20-30 minutes. Works for me.

    Practice good gym etiquette...wipe down machine with sanitizer, sanitize your hands before and after touching anything, cough into your elbow, etc. so you don't have to worry about sickening others.
  • mrsbeck
    mrsbeck Posts: 234 Member
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    And Emilydmo and I are apparently the same person! :laugh:

    That must have posted while I was typing my response.
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    Just be sure to wipe down your machine with disinfectant stuff super good to not spread anything, and I don't see why you can't go! :) I'm with Havingitall - a workout tends to make me kick whatever bug is trying to bring me down!

    A disinfectant will not stop respiratory viruses
  • mdale2
    mdale2 Posts: 79
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    Just be sure to wipe down your machine with disinfectant stuff super good to not spread anything, and I don't see why you can't go! :) I'm with Havingitall - a workout tends to make me kick whatever bug is trying to bring me down!

    A disinfectant will not stop respiratory viruses

    Agreed.

    Better advice - if you're sneezing and coughing profusely it's probably not a great (or polite) idea to work out in the gym as the virus is carried through the air in droplets (mucus, saliva) and particles spread by your sneeze and cough.

    Wiping down the machines is probably better to prevent surface contaminants related to other ailments (namely intestinal) - e.coli, staph, MRSA...
  • pettmybunny
    pettmybunny Posts: 1,986 Member
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    She's not coughing and sneezing. She has a stuffy nose and sore throat (which is probably a result of sinus drainage down).

    I say if you feel up to it, go work out, many times I've gone in with a stuffy head (mine due to allergies more than colds, everyone) and after about 10 minutes my sinuses clear and the headache goes away. It's wonderful! But then, about an hour after the workout, it slowly comes back. Heck, it was incentive for me to go to the gym everyday and get a nice long workout in. Like others advised though, don't push it, go slow and steady, and if you feel like you're not up to it, or you hit a wall (even if it's only 5 minutes in), call it quits.
  • yellowhouse
    yellowhouse Posts: 80
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    I'm going to go the other way here. When I am getting a cold or sore throat, if I work out hard and get a good sweat going, I can generally kick the bug. Your body increases temperature to fight a bug ( fever) so when you work out hard and increase your body temperature, you are mimicking a fever and helping to fight off illness.

    It works for me

    This works for me too plus it makes me feel so much better. I try to go to the gym when it's not very crowded if I am starting to feel sick too.
  • pmjsmom
    pmjsmom Posts: 1,926 Member
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    A disinfectant will not stop respiratory viruses


    I'd never heard that before--and I worked at an assisted living facility for YEARS--we ALWAYS disinfected when viruses were prevalent!

    From webmd.com:

    Cold and flu germs live longer on hard surfaces such as plastic or metal than on skin or fabrics. Clean shared items such as phones and computer keyboards at work and home with alcohol wipes or a virus-killing disinfectant.


    http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch188/ch188c.html

    Hand washing and use of surface disinfectant in a contaminated environment may reduce spread of infection.
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    A disinfectant will stop bacteria/viruses that land on a hard surface as well as MRSA, VRE and other antibiotic resistant medications...not airborne, so I would be talking droplet precautions of someone who has symptoms as coughing, runny nose etc.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    If you feel like working out, do some calisthenics at home (jumping jacks, pushups, etc). Please don't spread your illness to others. That's so inconsiderate it's not even funny. What may be a little cold for you could be very serious for someone who has asthma or an immune disorder. :frown: As others have said, disinfectant will kill most viruses/bacteria on hard surfaces (...not that viruses are alive in the first place, but that's neither here nor there :laugh:). But if your illness can be spread through the air (and most colds that involve coughing can), other folks can catch it from you, even if you disinfect the equipment (and door knobs and anything else you touch) after using it.

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