Getting sick (ill) after working out hard?

RaggedyAnnazon · February 2014

Hi all!
So a couple weeks ago I had gone to the gym about 3x's for an hour and a half each, I don't really time myself, just my average. I do at least 30 mins of cardio, and then lift weights for the rest of the time. But every time I'm going to the gym and exercising reguarlly I'm getting colds/flus for days or weeks. The last one lasted 2 weeks and that was only about a week and a half ago. Now I'm sick again, and I'm getting frustrated. Is anyone else catching colds or flus after working out? I thought this was supposed to boost my immune system, not make me catch everything. I even tried working out through the last cold and taking it really easy but it just made it worse. I'm keeping up on my potassium and iron, and taking a prenatal every day and drinking plenty of water.

Any ideas?

CallMeBacon · February 2014

Maybe just lots of sick folks at your gym? I know at my gym, if I stop and look around I see people sneezing, blowing noses etc. I'd try wiping down equipment before you use it - lots of people don't wipe down at all, makes the gym one big petri dish.

RaggedyAnnazon · February 2014

That's one possibility i was thinking, and I'm in a college town. I hardly ever meet a college student who is worried about stuff like that. I'm wondering if I'll seriously need to start doing a wipe down of everything before I use it and slather on hand sanatizer at the end. I've never had a huge issue with immunity like this, so it's throwing me off.
Another theory my Mom and I had, is because some chemicals, illnesses, etc are absorbed into fat, as I'm losing weight they're getting released back into my body. Less likely, but I wonder.

CallMeBacon · February 2014

I can't fathom it has anything to do with chemicals stored in fat, that sounds pretty hinky to me.

Really - lots of folks are sick and not washing their hands / sneezing on machines / sweating all over, etc. If you're worried about getting sick - wipe the machines down before you use them.

healthygreek · February 2014

Touching surfaces is the sure way of getting sick!
Always use the wet wipes provided and do a thorough wipe down of all parts you will be touching.
Furthermore, wash your hands thoroughly with soap after your workout.
Lastly, buy elderberry syrup and take 2 teaspoonfuls every day or double that when you feel an upper respiratory sickness coming on. It works wonders boosting your immune system.
Lots of fruits and veggies also help boost immunity.

Francl27 · February 2014

How much are you eating? If you're not fueling your body properly, your immune system is probably shot.

RaggedyAnnazon · February 2014

I honestly don't know how much I'm eating, I'm trying to make sure I don't get hungry, but with a toddler to look after it's rather hard to make sure I'm not shoving junk food into my mouth while she's awake. I usually end up getitng my first meal of the day when she goes down for her nap around noon. Unless I eat breakfast with her, but I've never been one to be able to eat within two hours of waking up like people say you should.

phantomjam · February 2014

It happened to me too. Here's how I stopped it.

Adequate rest
If my body is tired, I rest. Naps are very helpful. Encourage your toddler to take a nap in the afternoon and join her.

Good nutrition
Your body can't fight off infection without being properly nourished. Make something simple and nourishing to eat/drink and have it before noon. Try opening your appetite with peppermint tea or broth.

Appropriate exercise
If your exercise is too taxing (due to difficulty or time committed) it puts a great strain on the body to repair itself and makes it difficult to maintain strong immunity.

It's unlikely that you have to disinfect your whole home. Pathogens are always in your body, the trick is balancing rest, nutrition and exercise to keep them in check.

p4ulmiller · February 2014

Another theory my Mom and I had, is because some chemicals, illnesses, etc are absorbed into fat, as I'm losing weight they're getting released back into my body. Less likely, but I wonder.

Momscience :laugh:

aleggett321 · February 2014

Touching surfaces is the sure way of getting sick!
Always use the wet wipes provided and do a thorough wipe down of all parts you will be touching.
Furthermore, wash your hands thoroughly with soap after your workout.

THIS!
I would add try not to touch your face until you wash your hands. Lots of viro receptors there which makes transmission more likely.

healthygreek · February 2014

It happened to me too. Here's how I stopped it.

Adequate rest
If my body is tired, I rest. Naps are very helpful. Encourage your toddler to take a nap in the afternoon and join her.

Good nutrition
Your body can't fight off infection without being properly nourished. Make something simple and nourishing to eat/drink and have it before noon. Try opening your appetite with peppermint tea or broth.

Appropriate exercise
If your exercise is too taxing (due to difficulty or time committed) it puts a great strain on the body to repair itself and makes it difficult to maintain strong immunity.

It's unlikely that you have to disinfect your whole home. Pathogens are always in your body, the trick is balancing rest, nutrition and exercise to keep them in check.

OP is going to the gym and getting sick-not her home. It is very important to wipe down the gym equipment she will use. My daughter got an awful staph infection from her gyms exercise mat. It took her weeks to get over it.

phantomjam · February 2014

I didn't tell her to avoid hygiene.

What I told her is that the human body always has pathogens in it so if she doesn't have proper nutrition, rest and appropriate (as in not excessive) exercise she will still be likely to become sick from working out hard. The problem is not necessarily external. The fact is most of the world is not sanitizing everything they touch yet they aren't falling sick from strenuous physical effort.

Edit: You are correct that she mentioned the gym, however, the principle doesn't change.

darkrider42 · February 2014

For me, length or intensity of a workout don't seem to have any effect on whether or not I get sick. But the one thing I *have* noticed is that if I allow myself to get chronically sleep-deprived, I will inevitably get sick. A person's immune system can get seriously compromised by improper nutrition and insufficient sleep.

But in reading all the other posts here, I also definitely agree with the wiping down any surfaces you touch at the gym in your case since you've noticed that going there coincides with getting sick. I'm usually pretty resilient against picking stuff up that way, but I am super bad at getting enough sleep so maybe I should start. (I do *always* wipe down my equipment after I'm done though.)

AlongCame_Molly · February 2014

Another theory my Mom and I had, is because some chemicals, illnesses, etc are absorbed into fat, as I'm losing weight they're getting released back into my body. Less likely, but I wonder.

Completely false. No basis in science whatsoever. All "illnesses" and "chemicals" are circulated in the blood stream and either attacked by white blood cells or filtered through the liver and kidneys and then expelled as waste. Never stored as fat.

easjer · February 2014

While fat can (theoritically) store toxins that are released as you lose weight, fat is not storing illnesses that suddenly activate as you lose weight. That's just not how the immune system works. But gyms are horrible for illnesses, because there is body fluid all over and many people don't wipe down the equipment before/after use, as noted. You definitely should wipe down between uses and wash up afterwards.

Sharkington · February 2014

One problem I always had, was I would work out really hard, regularly, but wouldn't be getting the proper nutrition. It's easy for me to exercise, but sometimes I suck when it comes to making sure I am eating enough (even though I may not even be hungry) or if I am, I may not be getting enough vitamins/nutrients. We need to be even more conscious of how much we eat and WHAT we eat when we are burning off so much energy. I would get sick often, as well, and I am sure being in an environment where there are a lot of people touching the same equipment I am touching, doesn't help, either.

Also, it is that time of year again where all kinds of viruses are going around. (I read an article that stated February is the month people are most likely to catch the flu, rather than the earlier Winter months) Like someone else mentioned, wipe down the machines before using them (and after, of course). I am sure some people at the gym look at me as though I am being paranoid wiping before I use them, but I frequently notice people at my gym who do not wipe after they use the machines/equipment. That is probably my biggest annoyance at the gym. :laugh:

Anyway, eat nutritious food and enough of it, wipe on, wipe off, enjoy. :flowerforyou:

Ang108 · February 2014

Hi all!
So a couple weeks ago I had gone to the gym about 3x's for an hour and a half each, I don't really time myself, just my average. I do at least 30 mins of cardio, and then lift weights for the rest of the time. But every time I'm going to the gym and exercising reguarlly I'm getting colds/flus for days or weeks. The last one lasted 2 weeks and that was only about a week and a half ago. Now I'm sick again, and I'm getting frustrated. Is anyone else catching colds or flus after working out? I thought this was supposed to boost my immune system, not make me catch everything. I even tried working out through the last cold and taking it really easy but it just made it worse. I'm keeping up on my potassium and iron, and taking a prenatal every day and drinking plenty of water.

Any ideas?

Exercise does boost one's immune system and it is difficult to know how you would be without it. However it is very important that you also eat a immune system boosting diet, which consists of a variety of nutritious, healthy food, plus.........a health supporting lifestyle of decent rest, moderate alcohol and the aforementioned exercise.
It is also important that you practice extreme hygiene in the gym, avoid touching your face, do not allow a towel to wipe your sweat if it has come in contact with any gym surfaces and wash your hands really well after working out, or better yet take a full shower and dress in clothing that goes from your own gym bag right onto your body and does not touch surfaces at all.

darkrider42 · February 2014

Exercise does boost one's immune system and it is difficult to know how you would be without it.

YES! Thank you....I knew I was forgetting to mention something. :flowerforyou:

RaggedyAnnazon · February 2014

So far thank you everyone! It's all been really helpful.

The more I think about it, the more I realize maybe it is that I'm overdoing it. I have a tendancy to really push it, and now that I keep up on my iron Im rarely feeling the payment for it. But it could very well be my immune system lowering because I push to hard.

Getting sick seriously happens to my everytime I start working out again, gym or not. And sadly, I don't see a lot of results unless I'm pushing it. I don't FEEL like I overdo it, because I make sure I can still breath/walk/function afterwards. I always make sure to get something healthy in me after I work out, including protine. How can you tell if you workout too hard?

The nurtition could be a serious problem. Im living off snap benefits right now, so I'm limited in my budget. Plus, as I've gotten older I'm eating significantly less, when I was a kid/teen I was definetly eating about 3xs my recommended calorie count. Now I bearly eat somedays, not due to wanting to be "skinny" or anything, it's subconsious. Possibly my depression kinda just supressing the hunger. So even when I do buy a bunch of fruit and veggies, half of them end up spoiling because I don't use them in time. I can get frozen, I just really hate the limited variety and obvious texture change. I grew up on a lot of frozen food, so it's a really big mental challenge to buy the frozen bags.

The fruits and veggies I try to buy are ones that I (believe, anyway) pack good nutrition for the punch and tend to last a while: broccoli, cauliflower, a leafy lettuce or kale, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas. Same with grains and stuff, most nothing in my house is made with white flour if I can help it, and I get beans, lential and quinoa. I'm even taking a daily vitamin. So unless I'm just not getting enough of everything, I don't know what would go wrong. Except maybe lack of produce.

Getting sick (ill) after working out hard?

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