Working Out When Sick - Is This A Good Or Bad Move?

Is it okay working out when sick? Here are some things to know!

WORKING OUT WHEN SICK – Here are some of the things you should know before doing some exercising while you’re still sick.

When you are sick or have an illness, some of the common symptoms include a runny nose, persistent coughing, and sore throat. Also when this happens, your immune system can help you in three ways: natural exposure, vaccine exposure, and antibody exposure.

And for those who are fitness junkies who still want to work out even when they are sick, there are some of the things to know first.

Experts use the “above the neck” rule. This means that if the symptoms are above your neck like a stuffy nose, sneezing, or an earache, it is just okay to work out. However, if you’ve been feeling under the weather with symptoms like nausea, body aches, fever, diarrhea, a productive cough, or chest congestion is an indication that you should skip it for now.

Mild cold or an earache cannot stop you from exercising but conditions like fever around 98.6°F (37°C) will. It is not recommended to engage in any physical activities if you have a fever which also includes other symptoms like frequent cough, stomach bugs, chills, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, and headache.

According to an article from Healthline, although exercising is helpful to prevent illnesses, you must let your body recover completely first before hitting off the gym again. While some are always eager, patiently wait and rest until your body signals you that it is okay to be back exercising again. Listen to your body and to your doctor.

Once you feel okay, start by reducing the intensity and length of your workouts.