Working out if you’re sick is one of those topics that tends to get a lot of search results on Google. In my opinion, working out if you’re sick is an important part of getting healthy again but like anything else it depends on the specifics of your situation. Obviously you want to be careful about passing on illnesses to others but home gym owners typically don’t have that problem. Here’s how I handle exercising and illness.
Reduce Exercise Intensity and Duration
When you’re fighting even something as simple as a head cold, this isn’t the time to push for a new personal best in the gym. Yes, I realize that on Instagram, everybody wants to push through and show how tough they are but likes and follows aren’t worth risking injuring yourself. Unless you’re in a situation like Michael Jordan when he played his famous “Flu Game”, you need to dial back the intensity and duration of your training sessions.
For cardio sessions that means:
- Walking at a slow to moderate pace instead of running
- Walking for a shorter time period or distance than normal
For weight training if I’m working out while sick, I make sure to
- Stick to basic movements that work as many body parts as possible and are relatively simple to perform – barbell squats or goblet squats with a kettlebell or dumbbell not one legged Bulgarian overhead stationary lunges with band resistance
- Keep the weights light – you’re just trying to move your body and get blood flow to your joints. If I’m fighting the flu, I sometimes have a little joint pain and I find that doing some light weight training to get blood flowing to those joints helps me feel better.
- NEVER train to failure! – Again this isn’t the time to set personal bests in the gym. You want to train just enough to release the exercise induced endorphins and stop while you’re feeling good.
Stay Hydrated
In addition to doing some simple movements in a short exercise session, I try to stay hydrated because in the case of a cold, you’re losing a lot more body moisture through sneezing and coughing and medications to help relieve your symptoms can sometimes dehydrate you further. A lot of the misery associated with cold season is because you’re dehydrated and sluggish as a result. Fight back with extra water and or juices but try to stay away from coffee and anything that will dehydrate you further.
Rest
I really shouldn’t have to tell you this because you’re adults but I know that I do because we all think we’re a little tougher than we are and we dread the mountain of things that will be lurking in our To Do lists if we take time off to rest. If we’re trying to lose or gain weight, we also worry about losing momentum and having to start from scratch. I won’t tell you that you won’t lose any ground if you take time off because you’re sick, but I WILL ask you to imagine how much MORE time you’ll lose if you DON’T rest and you end up prolonging the sickness until you’re forced into bed rest or God forbid a hospital stay.
Be Smart
Use some common sense, keep taking your vitamins, eating healthy and don’t hesitate to see a doctor BEFORE a minor cold becomes something worse, especially if it lasts longer than three to four days.