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Working out while sick.
Replies
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Serious question. At the gym there are generally all sort of wipes one can use to clean off equipment, not so in the real world.
For all those saying stay home from the gym so you don't spread germs do you stay away from handholds on public transportation, elevator buttons, credit card styluses/buttons, etc while sick so as not to spread germs?
As a matter of fact, yes, I do stay home if I am sick. Did the same during my 45 year working life, too - was sick twice in all that time. I know that's not a choice for most folks, but, when sick, one should NOT go to public places unless absolutely necessary - for medications fits, going to the gym (or McDonald's, town hall, etc.) doesn't.
And most public places DO have germicidal wipes available for patrons, these days. Yet, people still manage to pass and contract colds and flu. Although physical contact with a contaminated surface is the most common method of passing a cold or flu bug to someone else, airborne bacteria and viruses account for quite a few new cases every day. All one has to do is breath in a couple of those nasty bugs for them to take another victim.
If one is sick - cold, flu or other seasonal and other mostly contagious ilnesses - work out at home if you feel up to it.
One can NOT sweat out bacteria or viruses to induce a cure or shorten the illness. But one can sweat out enough to to make other people sick, too. Perspiration is a body fluid. Another reason to stay away from the gym until better.
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raven56706 wrote: »There are two sides to this.
• Pro Working out- If you work out, your body will feel energized and keep you positive while being sick
- You will sweat out the germs
- Unless you have a fever, you can workout at anytime
- Sinus infections and other sicknesses, while not severe, need the body’s energy to fight off the sickness.
- Your body needs to rest.
- Most over the counter meds and prescription ones will affect your body’s performance at the gym
Obviously everyone is different but where do you stand on this topic?
Why does this post have 2 disagrees? MPF should get rid of this button. There are too many psychos on the internet for this to be useful. I’m sure I’ll get a few disagree hits from trolls that have no life for saying this... Let’s watch...1 -
That's a no from me, dawg. If I'm sick, I won't work out because it makes me feel like death.1
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allother94 wrote: »raven56706 wrote: »There are two sides to this.
• Pro Working out- If you work out, your body will feel energized and keep you positive while being sick
- You will sweat out the germs
- Unless you have a fever, you can workout at anytime
- Sinus infections and other sicknesses, while not severe, need the body’s energy to fight off the sickness.
- Your body needs to rest.
- Most over the counter meds and prescription ones will affect your body’s performance at the gym
Obviously everyone is different but where do you stand on this topic?
Why does this post have 2 disagrees? MPF should get rid of this button. There are too many psychos on the internet for this to be useful. I’m sure I’ll get a few disagree hits from trolls that have no life for saying this... Let’s watch...
Perhaps there are disagrees because "you will sweat out the germs" is absolutely not a thing.9 -
It depends on what kind of sickness it is. It's not a one-size-fits-all proclamation.
Fever? Definitely don't work out. Rest.
Respiratory symptoms? Try if you feel up to it and adjust your effort based on your respiratory response.
Mild cold? You might feel up to something gentle but you're still probably better off not going for a personal best that day.
And like others have said, keep your illness home or outdoors to work out if you feel up to it. Nobody at the gym wants that.2 -
Currently recovering from pneumonia. Up until today I didn't have the energy to work out, and the coughing until I was dizzy would have prevented it anyway. If I have a head cold, I'm still usually up for working out. As others have said, it's individual based on what the illness is, and how the person is feeling at the time.2
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Theoldguy1 wrote: »Serious question. At the gym there are generally all sort of wipes one can use to clean off equipment, not so in the real world.
For all those saying stay home from the gym so you don't spread germs do you stay away from handholds on public transportation, elevator buttons, credit card styluses/buttons, etc while sick so as not to spread germs?
If you must leave the house when sick (even for minor colds), carry hand sanitizer and use it frequently.0 -
Don't work out when you are sick unless you are an elite athlete with a cold, in which case do a very light workout only.
FWIW, during the 1918 flu pandemic, the people who went home immediately when they were sick survived, the ones who tried to work through their first day of illness are the ones who died.
We're likely to have a coronavirus pandemic soon, which will have a lower death rate than the 1918 flu. For most people it will be like having the flu and they'll recover just fine. But don't push your luck.
(PS: 'pandemic' doesn't mean the illness has to be severe, it just means a lot of people will catch it at the same time because there's no existing immunity in the population. That translates to disruptions of supply chain etc. that can be a nuisance and if you aren't expecting them, could be scary or leave you stranded on the throne without any toilet paper.)0 -
Don't work out when you are sick unless you are an elite athlete with a cold, in which case do a very light workout only.
FWIW, during the 1918 flu pandemic, the people who went home immediately when they were sick survived, the ones who tried to work through their first day of illness are the ones who died.
We're likely to have a coronavirus pandemic soon, which will have a lower death rate than the 1918 flu. For most people it will be like having the flu and they'll recover just fine. But don't push your luck.
(PS: 'pandemic' doesn't mean the illness has to be severe, it just means a lot of people will catch it at the same time because there's no existing immunity in the population. That translates to disruptions of supply chain etc. that can be a nuisance and if you aren't expecting them, could be scary or leave you stranded on the throne without any toilet paper.)
What is the source of that information about the 1918 flu pandemic? I wasn't aware we had such detailed information about work habits and death rates.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Don't work out when you are sick unless you are an elite athlete with a cold, in which case do a very light workout only.
FWIW, during the 1918 flu pandemic, the people who went home immediately when they were sick survived, the ones who tried to work through their first day of illness are the ones who died.
We're likely to have a coronavirus pandemic soon, which will have a lower death rate than the 1918 flu. For most people it will be like having the flu and they'll recover just fine. But don't push your luck.
(PS: 'pandemic' doesn't mean the illness has to be severe, it just means a lot of people will catch it at the same time because there's no existing immunity in the population. That translates to disruptions of supply chain etc. that can be a nuisance and if you aren't expecting them, could be scary or leave you stranded on the throne without any toilet paper.)
What is the source of that information about the 1918 flu pandemic? I wasn't aware we had such detailed information about work habits and death rates.
In fairness, I sometimes feel work will be the death of me...
(no actual study on this just an occasional sense of impending doom)1 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Don't work out when you are sick unless you are an elite athlete with a cold, in which case do a very light workout only.
FWIW, during the 1918 flu pandemic, the people who went home immediately when they were sick survived, the ones who tried to work through their first day of illness are the ones who died.
We're likely to have a coronavirus pandemic soon, which will have a lower death rate than the 1918 flu. For most people it will be like having the flu and they'll recover just fine. But don't push your luck.
(PS: 'pandemic' doesn't mean the illness has to be severe, it just means a lot of people will catch it at the same time because there's no existing immunity in the population. That translates to disruptions of supply chain etc. that can be a nuisance and if you aren't expecting them, could be scary or leave you stranded on the throne without any toilet paper.)
What is the source of that information about the 1918 flu pandemic? I wasn't aware we had such detailed information about work habits and death rates.
In fairness, I sometimes feel work will be the death of me...
(no actual study on this just an occasional sense of impending doom)
Sometimes getting out of work does feel like a matter of life or death.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Don't work out when you are sick unless you are an elite athlete with a cold, in which case do a very light workout only.
FWIW, during the 1918 flu pandemic, the people who went home immediately when they were sick survived, the ones who tried to work through their first day of illness are the ones who died.
We're likely to have a coronavirus pandemic soon, which will have a lower death rate than the 1918 flu. For most people it will be like having the flu and they'll recover just fine. But don't push your luck.
(PS: 'pandemic' doesn't mean the illness has to be severe, it just means a lot of people will catch it at the same time because there's no existing immunity in the population. That translates to disruptions of supply chain etc. that can be a nuisance and if you aren't expecting them, could be scary or leave you stranded on the throne without any toilet paper.)
What is the source of that information about the 1918 flu pandemic? I wasn't aware we had such detailed information about work habits and death rates.
This is 100% conjecture on my part, but if I were a researcher interested in this info I think I would look at military records. There were a lot of men in arms at the time the pandemic struck, and if you compared outcomes for individuals who reported for sick call, were cleared for duty for that day, and in the next day or two were diagnosed with the flu to outcomes for individuals who reported for sick call and were not cleared for duty and were diagnosed with the flu in the next day or two, you might be able to determine if there were statistical differences between outcomes (of course, ruling out whether those not cleared for duty simply were getting better, more proactive health care might not be so easy, but I would think that the records would initially have contained info on treatment -- no idea how much of that would have been preserved for 100 years).0
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