working out when youre not feeling your best??

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irasonrisita
irasonrisita Posts: 101
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! So I have a fever, but I still wanna work out? What do you do when you're not feeling your best? I don't mean cardio, mayb e there are some exercises to make me feel better?

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  • larsonp
    larsonp Posts: 55 Member
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    Sleep.
    Working out takes extra energy your body needs to fight infection.

    If you have to do something, try doing some stretching.
  • KWSR16
    KWSR16 Posts: 91
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    Well.. coming from a cross country and track background our coaches always told us to run through a cold, and even a fever. He said that the running and sweating cause the fever to burn itself out... I'm not sure if I believe him but it seemed like it worked, at least in high school. If I'm sick now I stick to the couch and a good movie. But, my colds do last longer now. So, maybe he was right??
  • JessicaBarett
    JessicaBarett Posts: 11
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    I usually take a break when I'm not feeling well. I made the mistake of working out once when I was sick and it just made it worse.
    If you really want to do something though, maybe try some yoga? Not Jillian Michael's or Bob Harper-style power yoga or anything, but something relatively calm.

    Feel better!
  • shander7
    shander7 Posts: 613 Member
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    I have a cold and was wondering the same thing!
  • irasonrisita
    irasonrisita Posts: 101
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    Ahhh, just the thought of running right now sounds terrible:(. Ill stick to the couch and a movie.
  • lauralaurafish
    lauralaurafish Posts: 50 Member
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    You need to rest. Straining yourself when your body is fighting off anything will make the sickness last longer, or actually make you sicker.

    Just stick to your calorie intake, but take in lots of Vitamic C, zinc, and calcium!!
  • jamiesgotagun
    jamiesgotagun Posts: 670 Member
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    I have been trying to workout even if I am not feeling well, maybe not as hard as I normally would and I usually feel better the next day. Seems to work for me, hope you feel better!!!
  • niralid
    niralid Posts: 2
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    My trainer said that you should relax and try to get better, b/c your body wouldn't have the ability to effectively recover after a hard work out anyways, so it'd be counter productive.
  • runningneo122
    runningneo122 Posts: 6,962 Member
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    Well.. coming from a cross country and track background our coaches always told us to run through a cold, and even a fever. He said that the running and sweating cause the fever to burn itself out... I'm not sure if I believe him but it seemed like it worked, at least in high school. If I'm sick now I stick to the couch and a good movie. But, my colds do last longer now. So, maybe he was right??

    Last fall I caught my every other year headcold. I wasn't thrilled about running every morning but it gave me more energy throughout the day and the cold took about the same time to go away. On the days when I needed a cough drop, I took a couple spares along to make sure I had one in my mouth for the whole run and walk to cool down.

    ETA: BTW I'm 47 YO.
  • omgitsgarry
    omgitsgarry Posts: 138
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    Relax and get better. Straining yourself will only worsen what you have. And when you feel better, go easy for the first few days so your body can get use to the workload again.
  • Pumpkinpie10
    Pumpkinpie10 Posts: 29 Member
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    I had two fitness trainers several years back who both advised working through conditions that were above the neck (like headaches, nasal congestion, ear aches, sore throat, etc) with a milder version of your regular workout. However, it the illness is below the neck (like chest congestion/pressure, abdomen pain, etc) then rest. Only do some mild stretches if you can physically handle it; otherwise, only rest and skip all physical exertion so your body can heal faster. I still follow this advice.
  • irasonrisita
    irasonrisita Posts: 101
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    Thanks everyone! I just don't feel up to exercising today. Ill just go lighter on the calories :)
  • binabodu
    binabodu Posts: 120 Member
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    I have a cold/sinus issue right now, it's been around 2 days and I have forced myself to do the 30DS through it. I did have to modify some of the moves because jumping was killing my head but I did it and felt better afterward. I didn't have a fever though and this is the first time I have really stuck with something so taking a break until I have completed 30 days is not an option for me. I am certainly not telling you to do it, just letting you know that I did feel better afterward the last two days. Morning and night have been awful still though.

    Do what you think is right for you.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    This was me a few weeks ago. I did a light stretching routine, which made my fever worse. I thought it would make me feel better, it didn't. I missed 4 days of exercise, but was right back on track as soon as my fever broke. I however, didn't feel like eating either, so had 4 days of chicken broth.

    Rest, get lost of fluids and feel better soon, then exercise.

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