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Should you work out when you are sick?

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Bodybuilding News

Bodybuilding News

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Although working out while sick may not sound enjoyable, it can be a way to alleviate mild symptoms. Learn about the benefits and risks of working out while sick here.

Working out while sick may not sound enjoyable, although a popular urban myth argues that a person can "sweat out" an illness through exercise. While this is not true in the strictest sense, working out while sick may be helpful in some cases.

In general, a person with symptoms in their head and nose, such as those of a head cold, may benefit from working out.

A person with symptoms in their chest or stomach or someone with a fever should avoid exercising, however. If symptoms get worse or working out causes pain, people are best to avoid working out while sick.

In this article, learn more about the benefits and risks of working out while sick.

Safety

Typically, it is okay to exercise with the typical symptoms of a head cold. These include symptoms such as:

nasal congestion
runny nose
puffy or red eyes
tension headache
In some cases, these symptoms may improve with exercise. Exercise increases the heart rate and stimulates circulation, which might help the body release fluids.

It is vital to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water when working out, especially if a person is sick.

It is also necessary to consider that different exercises will cause different reactions in the body. In general, it is best to avoid extremely strenuous workouts while sick. Instead, an individual should focus on lighter, movement-based exercises that get the blood flowing without pushing the body too hard.

These activities might include:

walking
light jogging
leisurely riding a bicycle
swimming
tai chi
gentle yoga
Can you "sweat out" illness?
The idea that a person can sweat out their illnesses through exercise is a myth. It may have stuck around for so long because regular exercise keeps the body healthy, and may boost the immune system Trusted Source.

However, as the authors of a 2018 study note, moderate exercise can reduce the risk of common respiratory illnesses, reduce their severity, and even shorten how long the person has symptoms.

These effects appear to have more to do with empowering the immune system to handle the illness better, and not how much people sweat out the illness while sick.

Mild exercise may also temporarily help with some symptoms, such as a runny nose or headache.


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Donndt

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Hmm, it always seemed to me that if a person has a cold, then he should not train either just because blood circulation will be improved - the blood will spread the disease throughout the body, and recovery will be slower
 
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