Is it healthy to exercise with you're sick?

[hypeMarked]

I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

 

[apac]

I'll usually continue lifting but avoid heavy cardio, if only because it will usually feel terrible to breath that hard. The endorphins usually make me feel worlds better, if only temporarily.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Stay home so you don't get others sick.

 

[jmcoreymv]

The first time I was sick, I went and tried to lift. After one set of squats I got really dizzy and could barely stand for a few minutes. After that I decided it's best to just wait it out.

 

[hypeMarked]

What I am trying to ask is if it will have negative effects or not? I usually do resistance training and cardio at/around home. I don't go to the gym so I'm not worried about getting other people get sick. For example, it is bad if you do intense training and never let your muscle rest.

 

[jiggahertz]

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
What I am trying to ask is if it will have negative effects or not? I usually do resistance training and cardio at/around home. I don't go to the gym so I'm not worried about getting other people get sick. For example, it is bad if you do intense training and never let your muscle rest.

Negative effects on your cold or gains? I used to work out when I was sick, because I seemed to feel better working out than not. Lately though, working out while ill has caused my cold to linger around longer so I've been focusing more on rest. I would worry about feeling better first and making gains second. You should be taking a few weeks off throughout the year anyway, so you can use this time to rest your body.

 

[crownjules]

Just realize you won't be able to give it 100% for the obvious reason that you are sick. It's not like being sick + working out = muscle loss. You just won't be able to put up the same amount of weight since your body is weaker from devoting its energy to fighting the sickness.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

I would say rest as you wont have all of your strength. Thus you could either hurt yourself by trying to do what you normally do and/or prolong your cold as your body is now putting effort into healing the muscles instead of fighting your cold.

I just got over a week long cold and took a week off from from the gym. It's amazing how much more strength you will have when you take a week off and let yourself fully heal.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I would not conduct one of my current workouts while I was sick. A workout like mine puts a lot of stress and demands on the system that should be otherwise devoted to fighting off the infection.

There may be merit to the idea of moderate physical activity helping to improve circulation and thereby positively affect the performance of the lymph system, but that seems quite a stretch to me.

 

[hypeMarked]

Ah...I see, thanks for all the inputs. As you all might have guess, I have been sick ever since I got back from a long vacation 4 weeks and it has been awhile so I am itching to go back. I don't want to find a reason to delay it any longer, so here I am asking for opinions.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Stay home so you don't get others sick.

Exactly. One of my biggest pet peeves are those guys who are a step away from death with some obscure contagious disease, but insist on coming to the gym anyway.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Stay home so you don't get others sick.

Exactly. One of my biggest pet peeves are those guys who are a step away from death with some obscure contagious disease, but insist on coming to the gym anyway.

Yep. You're getting everyone else sick, which sucks ass

 

[Fingolfin269]

Michael Jordan had some of his best playoff games when suffering from fevers and flu!

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Stay home so you don't get others sick.

Exactly. One of my biggest pet peeves are those guys who are a step away from death with some obscure contagious disease, but insist on coming to the gym anyway.

Yep. You're getting everyone else sick, which sucks ass

But it's nice because by the time you get better, all the equipment in the gym is free because now everyone else is sick

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Stay home so you don't get others sick.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: hypeMarkedI have been sick ever since I got back from a long vacation

Where did you go on holiday? Hasn't anyone mentioned you should get checked up if you get ill after coming back from holiday?

For general information I would suggest reading this (it's old but still good)

Exercising while sick

There is a lot of information there perhaps the most important is -

"You should never exercise when you have a temperature of 99.5 [degrees] F or above. Working out when you have a fever can cause your body temperature to rise even higher, potentially leading to heatstroke, according to sports-medicine specialist Lewis G. Maharam, M.D."

I don't want to post too much more from the article, but enjoy the read

One item not really covered is the possibility of viral damage to your heart; which can have a debilitating effect on the heart muscle and weaken it, potentially resulting in death.

Exercise Benefits and Prescription By Stephen R. Bird, Andy Smith, Kate James states:

"It is unwise for anyone to exercise whilst suffering from basic viral infections such as influenza... medical evidence would suggest that if a person infected with a virus attempts to exercise the virus can cause a greater amount of inflammation, and even permanent damage to body tissues. Of greatest concern in this context is the possibility of the virus affecting the heart and causing pericarditis, which can cause permanent damage."

Google Books

Edit: More info
Pericarditis

My advice would be that if you want to exercising whilst not feeling the best: Take it easy

Originally posted by: onlyCOpunk
I would say rest as you wont have all of your strength. Thus you could either hurt yourself by trying to do what you normally do and/or prolong your cold as your body is now putting effort into healing the muscles instead of fighting your cold.

I just got over a week long cold and took a week off from from the gym. It's amazing how much more strength you will have when you take a week off and let yourself fully heal.

Very strenuous exercise will actually weaken your immune system!

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: hypeMarked
I know that it is important to keep exercise to keep the momentum going no matter what. But what happens when you have a cold (light cold) or about to get sick? Would exercise be helpful or rest until you're fully recovered?

Generally speaking, no. Both sickness and exercise are challenges to the immune system. You don't want to stack them.

 

[hypeMarked]

Thanks for all the replies, I decided to take 2 weeks off after I came back from a 3 weeks vacation (went to Vietnam). I feel a lot better now and starting it up slowly again.

 

[d33pblue]

ja1484 got it right. The key here is the immune system. When youre sick your immune system is under heavy stress. Working out will put even more stress on it, and most likely lengthen the duration of your illness.

 

[soccerballtux]

Good that you stopped working out. The energy you use while exercising is energy your immune system would rather have for fighting off the infection/virus.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Michael Jordan had some of his best playoff games when suffering from fevers and flu!

That's because no one wanted to guard his ass that close.

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
Good that you stopped working out. The energy you use while exercising is energy your immune system would rather have for fighting off the infection/virus.

I have read some studies back that up.