It’s that time of year – cold and flu season. About the time you feel like you’ve gotten over your last bout of the “crud” – your kids come home with it, and your facing another round of feeling under the weather. Almost worse than that, about the time you feel like you’ve started to make gains on your workout program, you feel like getting a cold knocks you back and puts you at square one again. And about the time you’ve recovered, and you’re crushing it at the gym again, you feel another cold coming on. Is there any harm in continuing your workouts – should you exercise when your sick?
Here’s the good news. If you’re fit, you’ll recover from illness faster than if your out of shape. As being in shape means you have more energy, that extra energy helps your body recover faster. So, if you’re sick, but have the energy to work out, it won’t hurt you to keep your workout schedule.
But, if you feel worse after your workout, you need to cut back. Take a couple days off, or reduce your workout by 50% or so. Also keep in mind what is know as the “Above the Neck Rule”. If you’ve got a runny nose, sore through – all things above the neck, you’re safe to exercise. But, if your symptoms include chest congestion, upset stomach, or muscle aches, then make sure you rest.
Another thing. If you feel drained of energy, then your body is working hard to beat your illness. Go ahead and rest. Allow your immune system to recover. Pushing when you have no energy not only may lengthen your illness, it may increase the severity of it as well.
Colds last normally about 7-10 days, and the flu can last 2-3 weeks. Once you feel good enough to start working out again, start out light. Do a couple of days at a 50-75% level. Work yourself up to 100% again as you feel better. You want to make sure you not only keep from prolonging your recover from your illness, if you’re out of breath from an upper respiratory infection, you want to make sure you keep your lungs clear.
