Hey Chickies! Many of us – or our kids – have been sick during the past few weeks. Many of us are working our tails off trying to shed the body clutter and reclaim our health. So what should we do when illness and exercise collide?
I wondered myself, so I did two things. Checked out info over at MayoClinic.com and called my Nurse Practicioner. They both said the same thing.
As a rule of thumb for exercise and illness:
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It’s okay to work out if your symptoms are “above the neck” — such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or sore throat. Be prepared to reduce the intensity of your workout if needed, however.
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Postpone your exercise if your symptoms are “below the neck” — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.
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Don’t exercise at all if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches. (Gentle stretching is okay to help relieve the muscle aches.)
Mild to moderate physical activity is usually okay if you have a cold but no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by temporarily relieving nasal congestion. If you choose to exercise when you’re sick, listen to your body. If your symptoms get worse with physical activity, stop and rest.
Yes, rest. Your body is an amazing machine with self-healing super powers, but it needs rest to do its work. So if you feel like crud, don’t go running! Resume your workout routine gradually as you begin to feel better.
Gradually is the name of my game this week. Half of my household, including me, has been sick for what seems like the entire month of February. Nothing serious, just a nasty energy draining mega snot producing upper respiratory virus that would not go away. It was bad. I did not exercise. I slept as much as possible, consumed gallons of fluids and let my body fight the germs and heal itself. I started exercising again this week. Slowly. Even though I feel better and am no longer coughing up a lung, I’m holding back a little bit. I pulled out my old C25K tracks and did week one pacing with walking and slow jogging. Next week I’ll work out with Buff Chad, and then start ramping up the walking and running.
Keeping the Faith 
Like your blog! I am trying to keep the faith too! Your newest follower!
Hope everyone gets back to health soon. Glad you're back into some excercise. I still haven't done any workouts. ugh! Time to get moving I think.
Wow, I hope you feel better soon. So smart to pace yourself.