Exercising while Sick

[LoneGirl]

What workout rules does everyone follow when it comes to being sick? I've heard it's generally okay as long as you feel up to it. I haven't worked out for almost a week and I'm really feeling guilty. I just have your typical cold, but it's really making me feel wiped out. Part of me thinks I need the rest in order to get better, the other part of me thinks I'm being a wimp and should try to push myself a little harder.

[E. Blackadder]

Don't be an azz. get better, then exercise.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I'd rather you didn't go to the gym if you're sick. Not even touching stuff, your extra breathing is sure to get recirculated and get maybe 100 more people sick.
Do your ab workout at home. Take a walk or run outside.

[Roto]

Just Do It.

[LoneGirl]

I'd rather you didn't go to the gym if you're sick. Not even touching stuff, your extra breathing is sure to get recirculated and get maybe 100 more people sick.
Do your ab workout at home. Take a walk or run outside.

I don't belong to a gym, so don't worry. The exercising would be done on the treadmill in my own home (I'm not exercising outside either - it's 20 degrees here.....).

[tommie frazier]

if I have a fever, I don't.

otherwise, as long as I am not suffering from a stocmach flu-like ailment, I exercis. not crazy, but enough to ge the blood pumping and not leave me wiped out.


I just finished a walk outside-it's 20 degrees here too!

[CAPTAIN_MORGAN]

IF I HAVE A COLD, I'LL STILL GO FOR A WALK OR RUN OUTSIDE.

THE FRESH AIR AND GETTING THE BLOOD PUMPING ACTUALLY TEND TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON ME.

[egg]

As long as you don't have a fever you should be OK. I find that the activity helps move things along and helps me feel a little better. Just take it a little easier than normal, sometimes it can be counterproductive to go just as hard and you end up feeling worse.

[Maine-iac]

Only what you feel up to. If I can't breathe well normally, I generally don't want to do something that will require heavy breathing. And if you are sick and your body is telling you to lie down and nap, it probably has a point.

But if you feel like giving it a try, I don't think it will do you much harm.

[Smurf]

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/01_96/primospa.htm

Some good advice in this link.

[tommie frazier]

maine-iac:

when I am totally congested due to cold/allergies/etc. I have found that running (or other high energy activity) cleared my breathing for the duration of the exercising. I always loved feeling like I could breathe again.

[Maine-iac]

Hmmm. I don't actually run, but I tried some aerobics the last time I was badly congested. It didn't help, and I ended up with a nasty coughing fit.

But I have heard others say that it can help, so maybe it was just me, or maybe the aerobics were too much.

[LoneGirl]

Thanks for all of the input. I ended up not working out tonight - I got home a little later than usual and by then I was exhausted and my cold medicine was starting to wear off, so I decided I just wasn't up to it. But I think I might try to walk tomorrow at a lower intensity than usual. If that doesn't kill me, I'll know it's safe to start easing back into it.

[Loner]

My rugby coach pointed our team to this article at the start of flu season:

Should I exercise when I have a cold or the flu?

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Most doctors allow their patients to exercise when they have a cold, as long as they don't have a fever and their muscles don't hurt when they exercise. However, it's probably better to stop exercising altogether when you have an infection. You risk injury if you exercise when your muscles hurt at rest or when you start to exercise. When muscles are damaged, they release enzymes from their cells into the bloodstream and they fill with blood from broken blood vessels. One study reported markedly increased muscle damage during relatively minor exercise during an infection, with blood tests demonstrating increases in muscle enzymes and ultrasound tests demonstrating hemorrhage into the muscles.

You also should not exercise when you have a high fever. When you exercise, your heart has to pump blood to your muscles to supply them with oxygen. It also has to pump blood from your muscles to your skin where the heat is dissipated. When you have a fever, your heart has to work extra hard to get rid of extra heat. Furthermore, some viruses that infect your nose and throat can also infect your heart muscle. The combination of the extra work and an infected heart muscle could cause irregular heart beats. You won't lose much conditioning unless you take off for more than a week.

[Maxprime]

+1 for not doing it. While working out regularly boosts your immune system - working out while sick is kicking your body while it's down. Also, massive blood flow gives those virii or bacteria more ability to spread while your body is working hard to keep you from falling on your face on the treadmill.

In rare cases with rare diseases, an injury can cause death. In college, we had a kid at a boxing event who had a severe sore throat that doctors didn't notice (and he didn't mention). During the fight, a blow to the nose opened up a blood line and the virus (meningitis) moved into the bloodstream and into his spine - he died 5 days later.

[Cohete009]

Good thing found this thread, interesting answers....

Can't breathe out of one side of nose, was deciding if should take day off or not.

Plus, if it does rain, that would be bad compounding wetness and the cold.

Gonna take day off.

But please yell at cohete if cohete takes off again wednesday. TIA. :)

[tommie frazier]

breathing issues always clear out for me on the run. I only want to take days off if I have a fever, or am otherwise flu-ey.

[yanz]

Good thing found this thread, interesting answers....

Can't breathe out of one side of nose, was deciding if should take day off or not.

Plus, if it does rain, that would be bad compounding wetness and the cold.

Gonna take day off.

But please yell at cohete if cohete takes off again wednesday. TIA. :)

I heard somewhere that you only ever breathe out of one side of the nose at a time (and they switch back and forth), but you don't generally notice until you have a stuffy nose since the difference becomes more pronounced (or both halves happen to be stuffy).

So it won't kill you ;)

[yanz]

Not really on topic, but:

It's over 80 degrees in my apartment (I broke the AC last night by accidentally hitting the wrong button in the dark - oops), and I feel like poop (probably overheated). A few hrs ago, [when I noticed myself starting to feel like poop] I started drinking lots of water (so far 2 bottles), but I still have a mild headache (post-advil).

Should I go to the gym, or will it make me worse?

[annabel lee]

The gym is probably air-conditioned, right? Take your time doing warm-ups. If you start feeling better, then workout the way you usually would. If you don't feel any better, go light on the workout.

[yanz]

I went a bit heavy on the workout, but I feel ok. dead tired, but, I think, better overall...

[tommie frazier]

I only skip workout for fevers, or serious mechanical injuries.

[yanz]

I was mostly concerned about possible dehydration

[tommie frazier]

then drink water til sick of it, then gatorade. or other way around. drink til there's a 7 second delay before it leaks out the bottom, still cold. that's when you know you've had enough.

[LoneGirl]

I was mostly concerned about possible dehydration

I don't think you need to be too concerned with dehydration while sick unless you are vomiting or have diarrhea. People are usually better hydrated than they think, especially if they drink water all day like you did.

[Nimue]

People say that it doesn't hurt to exercise but I disagree, I think that it does serve to prolong the cold. Just choose which one you want more- to get better as soon as possible or to look good. It's as simple as that I think. I'm not judging at all- I have chosen choice B at times and I have taken the risk of prolonging the cold. Actually if you ever want to ever lose weight the fool proof way to do it is to have a cold and meanwhile exercise hard. When you're sick you have no appetite and you can't taste the food, so there's no point in eating too much or eating any food that's bad for you because you're not gonna enjoy it anyway. Also, people do tend to lose weight when they're sick, just the body's reaction. Of course if it's just a few days it's not noticeable. But if you do want to get better, my advice is to not exercise at all, take medicine, sleep a lot, and eat a lot, especially fruit.