Should You Exercise When Sick?

Hello, this is MuscleMaverick. To find out if you should train while sick, use the "neck check." As long as your symptoms are above your neck, like a mild cold or the sniffles, light exercise is usually fine. Just reduce the intensity by half.

If your symptoms are below the neck, like fever, stuffy chest, or body aches, stop lifting weights and rest. If things get worse, you should always end the session. The immune system can't wait, but your practice can. If you make the right choice today, you'll be better prepared for tomorrow.

The Neck Check to Help You Decide Whether to Exercise​

When you're not feeling well and want to decide whether to work out or not, the "neck check" is a very good way to decide. This method tells the difference between symptoms that are above the neck (like a stuffy nose, sneezing, or a light sore throat) and those that are below the neck (like fever, chest congestion, or body aches).

If you have signs above the neck, you can usually keep doing light exercise while you watch how your body reacts. But signs below the neck mean that your immune system is under a lot of stress, and working out may make it harder to get better.

During this test, pay attention to your body. Even if your symptoms aren't too bad, you should stay hydrated and cut back on your workouts by at least half. Remember that getting enough rest and recovery now can often help you do better later, while pushing through a major illness can make your recovery take longer and even cause problems.

How Working Out Affects Your Immune System​

You might want to keep up your workout routine even though you're sick, but you need to know how exercise affects your immune system in order to get better. When you're ill, your body redirects much of its energy toward battling the infection, which means you have less available for physical activity or training.

Moderate to intense exercise puts extra stress on your body that is already under a lot of stress, which could slow down your healing and make your symptoms worse. When you have respiratory problems, this is especially true because deep breathing can make your already-swollen airways worse.

But very light moving may help the immune system by making immune cells move around more slowly. It's important to know how tired you are, because ignoring your body's signs of tiredness usually makes things worse. Your immune system works best when you get enough rest and do light activities that are right for your conditions.

Changes to Your Workout That Are Safe When You're Sick​

If you want to stay active even though you have mild above-the-neck symptoms, changing how you normally work out can help you stay fit without slowing down your healing.

Begin by shortening the time and effort you put in. Aim for 30 to 50 percent of your standard effort. Instead of high-intensity cardio, try light riding or slow walking, and instead of heavy strength training, do yoga or bodyweight exercises. Take breaks often to see how your conditions change when you work out.

When you're sick, staying hydrated is even more important, so drink water before, during, and after any exercise. Pay close attention to your body. If your symptoms get worse while you're working out, stop right away. Remember that getting enough rest often helps you heal faster than pushing through pain. During the flu season, low-intensity training should make you feel refreshed, not worn out.

How to Get Back into Recovery-Focused Exercise​

To get back to exercising after being sick, you need to plan and make sure you mix getting better with slowly starting to do things again. Start with low-intensity exercise that gets your heart rate up without making you tired. For example, do 15-20 minutes of walking, gentle yoga, or light riding.

To help your defense system, make sure you get enough water and food. Eating enough protein and foods that are high in antioxidants can help heal tissues during illness. Pay attention to your body and make your workouts last longer before making them harder.

Include habits that are good for your immune system, like regular sleep schedules and ways to deal with stress. When you exercise, if your symptoms come back, that's when you know you need to cut back. Most people can go back to full training in one to two weeks after recovery, but remember that adding an extra day of recovery now will keep you from having to take weeks off later.

When You Can't Do Any Exercise at All​

If you have certain health problems, you should not do any exercise at all, not just a little. If you have a fever above 100°F, your body is already working hard to fight off an infection. Working out will make your immune system work even harder, and it could also raise your core temperature to levels that are dangerous.

If you have respiratory discomfort, like having trouble breathing, chest pain, or coughing all the time, your body needs to rest completely to heal. Dizziness, extreme thirst, or dark urine are also signs of dehydration and mean your body doesn't have enough fluids for safe activity.

As a safety measure, you should rest any muscle or joint pain that isn't the same as regular soreness after working out. Remember that pushing through these warning signs doesn't show devotion; it could make your illness last longer and lead to more serious problems.