Every single day we are exposed to bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Your work desk, your vehicles, even your hand phone are germ jungles. The most common invaders are upper respiratory tract invaders or URTIβs, which hit you with colds, coughs, flu, sinusitis, tonsillitis, throat infections and middle-ear infections.
Indonesia is now entering the transition period from rainy season to dry season. If you donβt have good immunity, you can get cold or flu easily. When you have a cold or flu, should you βsweat it outβ with exercise or just stay at home and recover? When itβs okay to work out while youβre sick, and when you shouldnβt?
The general rule of thumb about whether to exercise when youβre sick is the βabove and below the neck checkβΒ – If you have symptoms above the neck, like coughing, sneezing, sore throat, or nasal congestion, you can probably still work out. If you have symptoms below the neck like chest congestion, aches, vomiting, or fever, itβs best to skip the exercise.
Although we would like to suggest that its best to exercise at home if you have a cold and NOT at the gym/fitness center, to avoid infecting other people.
Should you exercise while sick?
There is a difference between βworking outβ and βphysically moving the bodyβ. A structured workout routineβone which youβre breathing heavily, sweating, working hard and feeling some discomfortβawakens the stress response in the body. When youβre healthy, your bodies can easily adapt to that stress. But when youβre sick, the stress of a tough workout can be more than your immune system can handle.
So, during the first few days of sickness, low-intensity, low-heart-rate cardio are recommended. Walking, low-intensity biking, tai chi, jogging, and yoga shouldnβt hurt you (unless youβre severely out of shape). These activities arenβt intense enough to impose serious immune-compromising stress on the body. Theyβve even been shown to boost the bodyβs ability to fight illness. Still, if you feel like you need rest, donβt push yourself.
Prolonged vigorous exercise, on the other hand, can make us more susceptible to infection. For example, running a marathon can depress your adaptive immune system for up to 72 hours. So, it makes sense to avoid that when youβre sick.
Your strength and performance will likely be diminished while youβre battling a cold, and thus putting you at increased risk for injury while trying to lift heavy equipment. The muscle strain required to lift weights also can cause sinus pressure and headaches to feel even worse. If you still do not want to skip a strength workout, you can do it at home, where you wonβt be spreading germs and sharing your sickness with other weight lifters.
The key rule
If you do choose to exercise when youβre sick, regardless of what kind of exercise you choose, reduce the intensity and length of your workout. If you attempt to exercise at your normal intensity when you have more than a simple cold, you could risk more-serious injury or illness.
