How long should I wait to workout after having Covid?

I ran across this article a while back. It's aimed at coaches of all levels, and offers advice from medical experts about how to ease an athlete - anyone from youth/recreational to elite - back into a routine after Covid. A few other people on MFP have said they found it helpful. I don't know if it will help you, but I'll throw it out here just in case:

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/covid-19-return-to-sport-or-strenuous-activity-following-infection

I think Covid will probably put a kink in your progress temporarily, but that if you approach resuming in a sensible way, you'll get back to your previous level and continue progress.

Early in the pandemic, a big chunk of the US national women's rowing team - the small candidate group for World and Olympic races - got Covid. That was before there were vaccines and treatments at all. By coincidence, I knew someone who was on the team at the time (a World and Olympic medalist, one of the top handful of rowers in the world). It took a while, and there were discouraging moments along the way, but the team members were generally able to recover to elite level performance and thrive.

You can recover and thrive, too, I'm betting. I'm cheering for you!

I got covid in November last year, it was at least 2 weeks before I felt like I had any energy, then it was a slow start.
I walked a mile down the street to the post office and back just after I stopped testing positive, and it wiped me out. usually that's routine and I wouldn't bat an eye. To start with just getting through the working day was all I could do. There were lots of early nights

Of course your experience will vary, but take it easy and give yourself some grace. I got there eventually.

I never actually missed a day of working out during my 1st official stint with rona in mid December. What I did is just dialed it back to walking and then eased back into interval walk/jogging. This was me. How hard you get hit is really how well your immune system deals with it. I did loose smell, but never taste. Fortunately I only lost taste for about 3 days. However I whole heartedly believe that the better health wise you are with no underlying conditions you'll likely fair better. I was apprehensive about it, but I decided I needed to test and see how I’d fair. Thankfully it worked out. Took me a bit to get back into a rhythm as I indulged with holiday meals, but kept up with work outs. I always tracked so I wasn’t surprised when I gained more than a handful of #s over the holidays.

christinefrano wrote: »

After 3 years, I finally caught the Rona. How long after symptoms stop should I workout (at home btw)?

Also, will this ruin my progress? I took a deload week last week so I'm having a hard time being laid up right now. I got 2 workouts in this week before getting sick but still feeling guilty and anxious to get back into it.

Nothing to feel guilty about...you have to take care of your body. Recovery is going to be individual. I have COVID in early January of 2022. Overall it was very mild and I was only "sick" for a few days but the fatigue lingered for about a month and I was just low energy, especially after about mid morning. Also, for those 4 weeks or so, any strenuous cardio I tried would result in bad coughing fits even though I generally had no cough after the first few days. It was about a month or so before I really did anything other than walking.

I've been at this good livin' stuff since 2012 and I've learned that you need to take a long view, not only of your diet, but also your fitness...*kitten* happens. I've had multiple injuries over the years that have kept me sidelined anywhere from a week to three months or more. You just have to take care of your body and pick back up when you can. Not allowing yourself recovery from illness or injury is likely to result in more of a setback than taking a bit of time off. Listen to your body.

Yep, what Ann said about overdoing it. You don't want to set yourself back.

Don't worry, fitness and strength bounces back. You'll retain almost all of it for the first two weeks, and any loss after that should be regained about two to three times as quickly as the time you lost.

You should probably eat more too, while the body is recovering. Your BMR is probably higher at this time.

I had covid for the 1st time, in the first week of January. A bit of a fever and feeling washed out for a couple of days, but symptoms fairly mild. I was running 40 to 50 miles a week pre covid. I stopped running, I did go out for 30 minute walks everyday for a week. After a week I started running again, limiting it to 30 minutes at a slow/easy pace. I kept an eye on my heart rate whilst running, which seemed to be at normal levels. I increased the duration of runs but kept it to an easy pace, for 3 weeks. Then I started to add in some higher paced efforts, as per my normal routine. No issues at all. I'm building for a marathon in March, fitness is now above pre covid levels, so really pleased and relieved. I was super careful as I was aware doing too much whilst having symptoms could prolong the symptoms and aware that heart issues could be a problem. Luckily all OK for me. I would follow a similar routine if I caught it again. Hopefully you recover quickly and don't have any lingering issues.

I'd say listen to your body. I've had it a few times (first time was Feb 2020 so can't PROVE that's what it was that walked through our office, but I'm as sure as one can be that's what it was), second time didn't even realize that's what it was until my sense of smell took a hike (thought it was just allergies), this last time was this year, was like a flu for me - couple days of feeling like poo, then days of live-able sickness like runny nose and such.

In my case, it hasn't really had any serious effects or seriously hindered my ability to get things done outside of those couple days when I had the fever and the 24 hours after that just being wiped out. So, slowed me down those couple days (although I still did a slightly easier workout) and was back to my routine after that - BUT - impact for me was overall pretty mild.

I know of others whose illnesses were far worse, some who were permanently impacted, so I realize what my experience was is not the same for everyone else. Again, listen to your body. I'm of a philosophy of push things - but don't hurt things. Knowing the difference between your body's signals of "good" or "okay to function" and "bad/ouch" is helpful - if you're not sure, error on the side of caution.

As someone with Long Covid from pushing too hard too soon, now disabled from it.
1. Nothing at all for at least 2 weeks following infection. (Chinese government requires this.)
2. In the following 2 months stick to walking only. Keep heart rate at 50% max.
3. Increase by 10% each month but if you have any hint of a struggle then STOP immediately and go back to step 1. Maybe, if you've not done the damage, then you won't get Long Covid.
4. Do not risk what my 24yo and I did and aim to build back to normal. This is what caused him to collapse to my then shock and disbelief. I didn't understand until it happened to me too.
5. If you get an unexpectedly high HR then stop. Bring everything right back to well below capacity.

Long Covid Physio website is very helpful.
According to studies as many as 1 in 10 people who get covid go on to suffer Long Covid.
Being super fit prior to infection tends to increase chances of Long Covid in younger people. Look at news reports of athletes withdrawing, suffering heart issues, collapses etc.

Remember 99% of pwLC have micro clots. There's been damage to all major organs found. Many have heart inflammation or autonomic dysfunction.

To win this game it's a case of doing everything differently, the way our ancestors did - toss the goals in the bin for now and really focus on reading your body's signals for tiredness. If you don't heed them you could end up so exhausted that you only get to choose whether today's achievement will be to take a shower or make a meal and nothing more. It's boring, devastatingly lonely, frustrating, a financial and income wipe out, painful, more demanding than any career, parenting, travel, sports I've ever done. It destroys everything you had. If you have the chance, don't risk it. Millions and millions of people haven't been lucky.

If you recover without any problems, then would you
please go visit your friends with Long Covid and offer to help. What might take them a month doing what feels like all nighters, might take you an hour tops. Even if they can only cope with a 5 minute visit, that's everything they have in the way of a social life and it's valued and precious.