Should you exercise while sick?

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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 URTIโ€™s, 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 donโ€™t have good immunity, you can get cold or flu easily. When you have a cold or flu, should you โ€œsweat it outโ€ with exercise or just stay at home and recover? When itโ€™s okay to work out while youโ€™re sick, and when you shouldnโ€™t?

The general rule of thumb about whether to exercise when youโ€™re sick is the โ€œabove and below the neck checkโ€ย – 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, itโ€™s 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 โ€œworking outโ€ and โ€œphysically moving the bodyโ€. A structured workout routineโ€”one which youโ€™re breathing heavily, sweating, working hard and feeling some discomfortโ€”awakens the stress response in the body. When youโ€™re healthy, your bodies can easily adapt to that stress. But when youโ€™re 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 shouldnโ€™t hurt you (unless youโ€™re severely out of shape). These activities arenโ€™t intense enough to impose serious immune-compromising stress on the body. Theyโ€™ve even been shown to boost the bodyโ€™s ability to fight illness. Still, if you feel like you need rest, donโ€™t 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 youโ€™re sick.

Your strength and performance will likely be diminished while youโ€™re 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 wonโ€™t be spreading germs and sharing your sickness with other weight lifters.

The key rule

If you do choose to exercise when youโ€™re 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.