Working Out While Sick

Should I Work Out When I’m Sick?
by: Dr. Albert L. Valente

Working out while sick, is it a yes or a no?

The short answer, no. Not initially at least. Wait a day or two to let yourself rest and allow the body’s energy be directed to fight whatever illness your immune system is at odds with. Then when you do resume your fitness program, start slow, so not to wear yourself out. It is better to lose a day or two working out then wear yourself down, get sicker and then perhaps miss a week or two. You won’t lose your six pack abs because you didn’t work out a couple of days.

While it is good to move around some when your are ill (as this keeps your circulation moving and allows you to breath deeper than if just lying around) you also need rest to recover faster.
You also need to stay well hydrated and maintain your nutrition.

When you first get sick and feel run down, achy and out of sorts, it’s because your body has been invaded with foreign germs. Your body then turns it’s energy to begin to fight this infection. If you work out intensely you will be taking energy away from fighting your illness and may end up extending the length of your illness; or even running your immune system down further and then getting a secondary infection perhaps worse than the first. This recently happened to a friend that began with a common cold. He continued his working out and running, and subsequently developed pneumonia. It’s not that a virus turns into bacteria, rather when your immune system is run down you become more susceptible to other, and maybe, worse infections.

Exercise in general has been shown to boost the immune system, but once you get sick, let yourself rest at first and allow your immune system to work.

Remember that this post is for general advice and always check with your own medical provider when not feeling well. If you get sick, hopefully this little bit of advice will help you get back to being Fit – Fearless – Fabulous quickly.

This post was originally published in January 2014.