Winter is closing in on us and the first runny noses and scratchy throats are a fact. And yet, barely capable of breathing properly, you can’t wait to hit the gym. We can’t let a stupid little cold ruin our gains, right? But is it really that smart to workout with a cold or the flu?
Preventive action
Working out is healthy. What else is new? Working out regularly reduces your chance of getting a cold or the flu. It also improves your sleep, reduces stress and both those things can in turn positively affect your immune system. But what if it’s too late?
A cold or the flu
You’re definitely not the first getting a cold, so stay positive. It’s called the Common Cold for a reason. With a cold it’s a virus causing your symptoms, like a runny nose, scratchy throat and coughing. Symptoms tend to start in your oral and nasal cavities, because the virus enters your body through your nose. The flu is also caused by a virus: the influenza virus. Running a fever, coughing and just feeling miserable are the most common symptoms. This virus spreads itself through the air or physical contact.
The immune system vs. viruses
When you’re sick, your immune system is fighting against those viruses. That costs your body a lot of energy. You’ll notice that you’ll have little energy left left for going all out in the gym.
Still working out?
Ignoring the flue and going to hit the gym anyway could backfire on you. Even worse – it could put you in danger. In rare cases, the virus could move to your heart muscle causing myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle causing shortness of breath, chest pain and an irregular heartbeat. If you’re feeling feverish, we strongly advice against working out. It’d be smart to wait for your body temperature to go back to normal before hitting the gym. You can’t just ‘sweat out’ the flu or a fever, that’s simply a myth. When it’s ‘just a cold’, you should be fine when working out. In theory. But your breathing won’t be functioning as it should and you’ll still lack energy because your body is fighting off the illness. That means you’ll basically be working out on an empty battery.
The neck check
If you’re still not sure whether it’s a good idea to go work out, you could run an easy test: the neck check. If your symptoms are below the neck, get some rest! Symptoms below the neck include: fever (or chills), body aches, coughing, and shortness of breath. Our best advice to you: listen to your body. Only go exercise when your body can handle it and not just because your schedule tells you to. We can’t stress enough how important rest is, especially when you’re sick.