Should you exercise while being sick — Healthy or not?
Sticking to a daily workout routine is the best way to keep your body fit and healthy. But what to do when you are sick? Should you work out? Or should you stay at home? Some people say it’s healthy, while others say it might worsen the situation. For all that, what is the reality?
Exercise on a daily basis can prevent the risk of getting huge diseases such as Heart attack, diabetes, and some types of cancers, and helps you boost your immune system.
However, people are confused about whether they should exercise in a bad health condition or should they skip their workout. Although, the answer isn’t blurred.
In today’s post, we will discuss when to sweat it out, and when to stay at home according to your bad health conditions.
Is it OK to Work out when you’re sick?
The main goal of a sick person is of course a speedy recovery so that he can continue his pending tasks. Some people are really Gym-rats, who love being at the gym the whole day, but sometimes they should really skip their workout until they feel better.
There are some exercises that are normal and safe to continue along with the common diseases. Experts have clarified the different diseases and explained to people, whether they should continue their exercise or should they rest.
A rule was introduced which is known as the ‘’Above the neck rule’’. As per this theory, if you’re experiencing any health problems above your neck such as a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, or an earache you’re probably good to go. You are only allowed to perform the medium and slow exercises for a short period of time.
On the other side, if you’re experiencing health problems beneath your neck which include nausea, fever, body pain, productive cough(A cough in which a person is coughing phlegm), or chest cognition, you should definitely skip your workout to make sure you stay healthy.
When is it safe to exercise?
You can discuss it with your doctor, but experts consider workout safe when the symptoms are:
Mild cold
Mild cold is a very common disease, especially nowadays. As you know the weather is changing. Mild cold causes cough, sore throat, and mostly blocked nose.
Every human has its own immune system and catches different symptoms that vary from person to person. Let’s suppose, there are two people who are caught by the rain, the first one got a stuffy nose while the other one started sneezing after reaching home. This example shows that symptoms and diseases vary from person to person.
If you think you lack the energy to even complete your daily tasks, the best solution is to take a light walk outside or at home instead of a vigorous workout, or you can just simply skip the walk too if not feeling well.
Sometimes it’s actually OK to exercise while having a mild cold, I mean if you can and you think you are good to go. But keep in mind that you might spread germs in the gym and make the other gym fellows ill.
You can prevent mild coughs by following these simple steps.
- Proper hygiene
- Washing your hands
- Wearing a mask to cover your mouth and nose
Earache
Ear pain takes place by a tooth infection, sore throat, sinus infection, or changes in pressure.
Pain in the Ear can make a person’s health very unstable and might cause fever which can make exercise harmful. If you have an ear infection and you are still going out to the gym, I’ll suggest, that you should not exercise and if possible return and stay at home until you are 100% fine.
Mostly Earaches are uncomfortable and annoying because it causes massive pressure on the head by even just making a little bend. Otherwise, there are some exercises that don’t pressurize the ear region, which you can do anytime if feeling well.
Stuffy Nose
If you’re dealing with a stuffy nose, exercise might help you to open your nasal passages to make you breathe more easily. But if it’s affected because of a fever or chest congestion, you should take a break from the gym. Although, as I said, every human has its own body type, you should listen to your own body, how it responds and what it is capable of doing at that time. If you think you can do the workout with a stuffy nose, well, congrats! Go on.
Having a really heavy stuffy nose, you should not perform strenuous exercise other than a light exercise or a walk.
Mild sore throat
Sore throat is commonly caused by flu or the usual cold. A mild sore throat does not affect your body but can irritate or may worsen the swallowing of food. But you should wait for your doctor until he permits you to continue your workouts.
If you’re experiencing other symptoms of mild sore throat which is associated with the common cold, such as congestion or fatigue. In this state, lessen the amount of exercise you perform a day.
Staying hydrated with cool water can actually help you soothe the soreness of your throat, which will help you to continue your exercise.
Situations in which you shouldn’t exercise
You can exercise in the situation while having a cold and earache, which is actually normal diseases, but on the other hand, there are some diseases in which exercising can be really harmful.
Fever
A normal man’s body temperature is around 37°C (98.6° F). However, in some situations the body temperature rises above its average temperature. This rise in temperature is called fever, which is mostly caused by bacterial or viral infection.
The symptoms of fever are muscle aches, weakness, dehydration, headache and loss of appetite.
Working out in the condition of fever can worsen the situation. Additionally, as I mentioned, fever causes weakness. Therefore, you won’t be able to carry heavy weights and will hurt yourself.
Skipping gym day in the condition of fever is the only option to prevent the risk of any injury.
Frequently coughing
A normal cough clears the body’s airways and is a fine way to keep the body healthy, but coughing frequently the whole day, I don’t think it’s a good sign.
A cough related to a tickle in the throat can’t be the reason to skip your gym day. Although, if you are coughing continuously it might be a hint for you to stay at home.
While exercising, your heart rate increases, for which you’ll have to breathe in a specific manner to make it normal. But coughing repeatedly may not let you do it, which will cause shortage of breathing and increase in fatigue.
Coughing which brings up phlegm or sputum is a sign of infection or any other kind of medical disorder. If you are coughing during the exercise, it may be a sign of asthma which requires an eye of the doctor, or it can cause serious problems.
Gym is a place where 90% of the fellows are friendly and supportive. Who wouldn’t want to support a person who is already supporting them? I don’t think you would be happy after spreading germs in the gym and putting your gym buddies at risk.
Stomach bug
Illness in the digestive system with symptoms such as sore stomach, diarrhea, vomiting or nausea are called stomach bugs.
Diarrhea and vomiting will increase the rate of dehydration which isn’t good for your exercise and can worsen your health conditions while performing physical activities. It will also make you become weak, because all the food you will consume will eventually be taken out of your body. Exercising with a weak body can increase the risk of injury.
If you’re feeling weak, light walk, slow stretch or yoga is the safest options you can perform at your home or in the park.
Flu
Flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses which are known for the diseases that take place in the nose, throat, and sometimes lungs.
The symptoms of flu are sore throat, chills, body ache, headache, cough, fatigue, fever, and congestion. The flu might look like a normal disease but it can actually cause death in very serious conditions.
Not every person who gets flu experiences cough, or body ache, but some patients experience increased risk of dehydration, which can make the idea of working out very bad. Flu is a virus that can be spread from person to person very easily through tiny droplets which is released by the sick person in the air when they talk, cough or sneeze.
If you’re diagnosed with the flu, it’s better to stay at home and wear a mask if possible. Try to make sure you don’t risk another person’s life.
When can you return to the Gym?
Many people can’t wait to get back to the gym and sweat themselves out, Which is a good thing. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of getting sick and enhance the immune system. But before that, let your body be fully recovered from the illness, you shouldn’t pressurize yourself if your body is taking too long to recover itself. It is because the majority of people think, some days out of the gym will spread water on all the efforts they’ve made, but it’s not like that.
As soon as the symptoms start to decline, you can resume your workout on the next day but make sure to not overdose. Start from a low exercise and increase the weight to your normal routine in a week. On your first day at the gym, start from a low intensity workout for a short period of time, but make sure you are hydrated enough with water.
Remember, after returning to the gym, your body wouldn’t be feeling 100% well so don’t try to press it hard with heavy and vigorous exercises. Plus, you may think that you are feeling well but there is a chance that you have the minor symptoms which may spread to others. Be careful with that.
Although, returning to the gym after an illness is very beneficial for your body. As per your perspective you might be in a perfect health condition, but according to me, you should talk to your doctor and listen to your body before joining the gym again.
Good luck!!
