working out while sick

[lynchpatrickj]

Should I work out (hit the gym, run, lift weights) while sick? My throat's kind of raw and phlegmy the last two days and I'm coughing and have the beginnings of a headache. Otherwise, I'm taking DayQuil and lying around the house all day, eating snacks (I get really hungry when I'm under the weather) and watching TV and reading SF. I don't want to get a fever or infect anybody else, but I do want to get off ******. Pros? Cons?

Does it matter? Am I being a baby?

 

[jgold47]

I do it all the time. Sometimes sweating feels good, come home and take a hot shower, etc... if your sick with the imumba virus, then stay away, but make sure you wipe everything down good, and dont cough on anyone. Obviously, your not going to be at 100% so make sure you take it easy, and just do something simple.

 

[wiscogooner]

I usually take the time off from the gym to rest up and get better if I feel that horrible. It's not going to ruin your gains. Especially if you're taking anything that make you drowsy, you run the risk of being sloppy and getting hurt.

Plus no one likes the guy who's coughing all over the equipment, spreading it to everyone else.

 

[nordicstyle]

It depends how bad I'm feeling. If it's only a mild cold or a light headache, going to the gym and get the blood rushing often actually helps me feel much better afterwards. The problem is, if you really are sick, working out can also make it worse. To be on the safe side, if you are unsure if working out is a good idea, it probably isn't. These things comes with experience. Now that I have done it many times I can almost always feel when a trip to the gym will get me well or not.

Also note that when working out while sick, sleep is very, very important. If you work out and don't get enough sleep your body will taker longer time to recover. Therefore it's also not a good idea to work out if your illness is affecting your sleep (i.e. you are losing sleep because you are waking up in the middle of the night coughing, have a high fever, or similar).

 

[Flambeur]

If it's something where you really feel sick enough to stay in bed all day, definitely no working out.

If you're a little better, maybe take a long brisk walk, I find that when I'm sick and can't work out it really helps.

 

[aleeboy]

I had a pretty bad cold not long ago... was really stubborn and ended up taking 3 weeks to get in the clear. The first few days were bad, it was making me tired and I felt like doing nothing but resting. After the body pains finished, it was isolated to a head cold... you know, can't hear anything, blocked nose, occasional headache... so I continued working out. I'm not sure if this prolonged my cold, but I was happy to be pushing weights rather than letting it get to me. Surprisingly, I was still as a strong as before I got sick... made pretty good progress too. I think the key is to try to get atleast 3 days rest and then go back and hit it. I would however, not suggest working out if you have something as severe as a flu for example.

 

[Nomad_K]

You're not being a baby - sensible and considerate question.

If you aren't feeling too bad and can get the coughing under control you may enjoy a good run or round on some cardio equipment - cover your mouth, sweat the cold out, and kindly wipe down the equipment when you're done.

Viruses and bacteria don't always do well with heat, hense the reason your body develops a fever when you're sick - that is one of your body's many responses to fighting off an infection. A bit of exercise to invigorate you and work up a good sweat can be a good thing during a mild cold.

Conversely, if you are down and out with a bad case of the flu, stay in bed, drink more fluids, and rest up. Hitting the gym when you are really feeling crap will drain your body of energy that it needs to fight off whatever you have.

 

[JoeWoah]

If you're sick you really shouldn't. You're wearing your system down, exposing yourself to more germs/free radicals and you're exposing everyone else around you. Now, if you're getting over a cold, still a little symptomatic but pretty much all better, that's a different story. However, if you're just feeling something coming on in the beginning stage, you should definitely not workout. That's when you should be trying to get maximum rest and fluids so that whatever you do get won't be a bad as it could be if your system was run down.

 

[Bring The Noise]

yo walter payton set the rushing record when he had the flu!

 

[adversity04]

My general rule is if it involves the head and throat you're okay to work out. If it's the lungs or torso related, probably not. Not the most scientific, but it's worked for me

 

[VeeArSix]

I used to tough it out when I was younger, but now I just wait until I'm recovered to get back in the gym. A half-ass workout isn't worth slowing down your recovery and risking other peoples health.

 

[lynchpatrickj]

how about running? like on a treadmill, not outside (it's 65 today, but I'm really cold-sensitive). would a couple of miles of pretty hard running before a workout make things worse?

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Originally Posted by Nomad_K

You're not being a baby - sensible and considerate question.

If you aren't feeling too bad and can get the coughing under control you may enjoy a good run or round on some cardio equipment - cover your mouth, sweat the cold out, and kindly wipe down the equipment when you're done.

Viruses and bacteria don't always do well with heat, hense the reason your body develops a fever when you're sick - that is one of your body's many responses to fighting off an infection. A bit of exercise to invigorate you and work up a good sweat can be a good thing during a mild cold.

Conversely, if you are down and out with a bad case of the flu, stay in bed, drink more fluids, and rest up. Hitting the gym when you are really feeling crap will drain your body of energy that it needs to fight off whatever you have.

That's fairly similar advice to what was in the news recently, apparently based on a study. It might have mentioned endorphins as helpful.

 

[unjung]

Originally Posted by lynchpatrickj

how about running? like on a treadmill, not outside (it's 65 today, but I'm really cold-sensitive). would a couple of miles of pretty hard running before a workout make things worse?

65 is bloody beautiful. I would wear shorts and have a barbecue.

 

[blank]

Originally Posted by Bring The Noise

yo walter payton set the rushing record when he had the flu!

And didn't Terrell Davis run a play-action snap during the Super Bowl while he was blind after being concussed?