Should you work out when you’re sick?
It’s that time of year when everywhere you go, you see people coughing and sneezing. Work, school, the gym – it seems like it’s one big breeding ground for all kinds of icky bugs. If you’re careful with hand washing and hygiene, you may be able to avoid coming down with the illness du jour. But if it hits you, should you keep working out and gut your way through it? One school of thought says that if your illness is above the chest it’s okay to keep training, but there should be a caveat attached. A light workout is one thing, but pushing through with your regular hard-core regimen can make you sicker.
Several years ago when my kids were young, they would bring home their share of colds. They’d be sick for a couple of days, then bounce right back. Not me, though. I would get a mild head cold and it would invariably turn into something more serious like bronchitis. When I finally ended up with pneumonia, my doctor sat me down and explained the facts of life. She said that hard physical work such as training requires most of your body’s resources. In a very basic nutshell, you’re tearing muscle fibers down, creating stress, and your body is healing the damage. You don’t have anything left to fight off a virus. If you rest for a couple of days, your body can reallocate the resources it needed to recover from your workouts and use them to recover from the infection. If you continue to push, your weakened immune system can’t fight off any of the secondary infections, like bronchitis or pneumonia, that are waiting out there to take hold. She told me that at the first sign of a cold, I should slow down, take it easy, and drink lots of fluids for a day or two until I started to feel better. Once the acute part of the illness was over, she recommended light cardio workouts for a week or so until the bug was completely gone. I started following her advice, and I haven’t had a bout with bronchitis since.
I’ve also noticed that when I’m training hard for an upcoming event, I reach a point, usually several weeks into the heavy-duty training, when I tend to get sick. I take that as my body’s request to slow down and rest a little. If I do that, it never gets more serious than a couple of days of sniffles and a cough or two.
Here are a few guidelines to follow when you’re training and you come down with a bug:
If you have a fever, go to bed. Your heart and lungs are already working harder to cope with the higher body temp, and working out will stress them to a point that could be dangerous. Keep your fluid intake up and sleep as much as your body tells you it needs to.
If you have a run-of-the-mill cold, rest for a couple of days until the worst symptoms are waning. Then move back into light cardio workouts – go for a walk or a short jog, but avoid anything strenuous. The exercise endorphins will help you feel better. As you heal, go back to your regular routine, but pay attention to your body. If you feel a relapse coming on, go back to the rest and fluids until it passes.
The same advice goes for a sore throat, which can be a minor virus or may be a sign of a more serious strep infection. If the symptoms lessen in a couple of days, then you’re good to go with the light workouts, but if they get worse or you develop a fever or vomiting, you know it’s time for a trip to the doctor and some serious rest and recovery time.
One more thing – if you’re sick, do your friends a favor and stay out of the gym. Other people don’t want to join you on the couch.
It all boils down to common sense. Taking it easy for a few days won’t have a negative impact on your fitness level, but being out of commission for six months with a serious illness will. Pay attention to your body and give it rest when it needs it. Turn off that voice — either yours or someone else’s – that’s accusing you of being a wimp. You’re not a wimp — you’re smart!
I’ve been battling bronchitis/fever for the past 2 weeks. Didn’t workout at all.
Did a 20 mile bike ride last night, followed by a very short run. Still having problems breathing and had to use my rescue inhaler 1/2 way into the ride – BLECH!
I’ve been so sick I decided not to do a 1/2 marathon I had scheduled. With a cold I can still do a modified workout. But this stinking bronchitis knocked me on my butt.
I went to the dr just in time – hadn’t turned into pneumonia yet.
Iv’e noticed if I have a mild fever or cold/flu and I train it seems to improve my condition. Although I never train if my fever is above 39 degrees C as I find it physically impossible.