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Old 02-07-2011, 01:14 AM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,882,196 times
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Listen to your body. If you're sick enough to miss work, or so sick you barely want to get out of bed, you need to be resting and recovering, not forcing yourself to exercise. With a mild cold, it's best to ease back some, but you might try some light exercise just for maintenance, like a brisk walk or an easy jog. If you feel all right after doing this, you know it's okay to try again. If you start feeling weak, dizzy, short of breath, or ill, then you know you'd do better to take a break from exercise.

People who work out diligently may get impatient about breaks in their workout routines. This is understandable. if you're dedicated about working out, you work hard to be in the condition you're in, and you don't want to see your hard-earned gains lost in a layoff. Looking at the big picture, though, it's best to approach exercise as a lifestyle choice, making the pursuit of fitness a way of life. If you live this way, it may be easier to accept the reality that you may need to lay off occasionally if your body is working through the strain of being sick. In terms of your lifetime, the occasional week or so away from exercise while you recover from an illness won't make any difference in your overall fitness. Keep this in mind while reminding yourself that fitness is something you work on for a lifetime, and it should be easier to accept the need to give your body a break when you're sick.
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Old 02-07-2011, 07:53 AM
 
Location: NJ
31,771 posts, read 40,584,943 times
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most people who work out are all gung ho for short periods of time and they want to be soooo super committed. its a joke when i see people jogging outside in the freezing cold or pouring rain. they are just making a silly spectacle of themselves. then after a few weeks they will get tired of it and give it up. if you work out on a regular basis over a long period of time, then its silly to force yourself to work out when you are sick. just take a little time off and get back to it when you are ready.
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Old 02-07-2011, 12:59 PM
 
Location: Lone Star State
355 posts, read 1,113,727 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre View Post
Listen to your body. If you're sick enough to miss work, or so sick you barely want to get out of bed, you need to be resting and recovering, not forcing yourself to exercise. With a mild cold, it's best to ease back some, but you might try some light exercise just for maintenance, like a brisk walk or an easy jog. If you feel all right after doing this, you know it's okay to try again. If you start feeling weak, dizzy, short of breath, or ill, then you know you'd do better to take a break from exercise.

People who work out diligently may get impatient about breaks in their workout routines. This is understandable. if you're dedicated about working out, you work hard to be in the condition you're in, and you don't want to see your hard-earned gains lost in a layoff. Looking at the big picture, though, it's best to approach exercise as a lifestyle choice, making the pursuit of fitness a way of life. If you live this way, it may be easier to accept the reality that you may need to lay off occasionally if your body is working through the strain of being sick. In terms of your lifetime, the occasional week or so away from exercise while you recover from an illness won't make any difference in your overall fitness. Keep this in mind while reminding yourself that fitness is something you work on for a lifetime, and it should be easier to accept the need to give your body a break when you're sick.
+1

A few weeks ago I had a cold (mostly sinus, no fever), decided to go for a jog and felt pretty good afterward. I usually do work out - at home - when I'm sick unless I have a fever; I hate feeling sluggish and laying around ALL DAY.
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Old 02-07-2011, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Here
2,301 posts, read 2,027,807 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainNJ View Post
most people who work out are all gung ho for short periods of time and they want to be soooo super committed. its a joke when i see people jogging outside in the freezing cold or pouring rain. they are just making a silly spectacle of themselves. then after a few weeks they will get tired of it and give it up. if you work out on a regular basis over a long period of time, then its silly to force yourself to work out when you are sick. just take a little time off and get back to it when you are ready.
Well, I agree with some of what you've said, disagree with some of it.

I have jogged in miserable weather. If it's on my schedule to run, I generally endure the elements and run. I will run on snow-packed sidewalks but I usually will not run on ice. So if what's on the ground is a result of freezing rain, I give myself a pass. Also, no thunderstorms.

Many years ago when I first started to jog, a friend decided he would take it up too. I figured on his first jog we could run together, so I told him I would go slow so he would not feel the need to keep up with someone who had been running for a couple of months. But my friend told me that before he ran he wanted to take a week or so and do some daily stretching. So for a while I would call him and asked him if he and done enough stretching and were ready to go out and actually jog. A week turned into two, then three. Finally after a month of alleged stretching, my friend proclaimed he was ready to go out and run.

We stood on the sidwalk out in front of his place and I told him that he could set the pace and I'd just go alongside like a shadow. He trekked about a hundred yards, stopped, and after about ten seconds of thought, proclaimed that he didn't really want to run afterall and he was finished. He remained true to this conviction and never ran again, except to perhaps beat the local public transportation to a bus stop. I'm not sure about the stretching.
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Old 02-13-2011, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Portland, TX. (next to Corpus Christi)
1,678 posts, read 4,004,252 times
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Ironic this thread got brought up. Last Tuesday, I started getting a sore throat, and congested feeling. Since Wednesday, I have been battling a head and chest cold/flu thing, running a low grade temp, and have had pains and aches all over. Can't breathe at all through my nose.

Thus, I have had to take off from my workouts (missed my Wednesday/Thursday, and Saturday/Sunday workouts). I am hoping to get back into them by midweek this week. Thankfully, I am feeling somewhat better today <sniffle> <cough> <cough>! I needed the break anyhow, I suppose. I haven't taken a week off since last July. Anyhow, wish me luck!


Ian
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Old 02-13-2011, 02:56 PM
 
874 posts, read 1,645,267 times
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I believe working out helps you feel better and get rid of your sickness faster. My bro said something about speeding up something inside you to help get better.
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Old 02-13-2011, 04:44 PM
 
Location: NJ
31,771 posts, read 40,584,943 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by schmidty223 View Post
I believe working out helps you feel better and get rid of your sickness faster. My bro said something about speeding up something inside you to help get better.
i have been working out for 5 days a week for the past 10 years. ive never taken more than a week off. its just a part of my life and if i dont do it, i have 5 empty hours a week. id much rather work out while im sick but in my experience, it prolongs the sickness. so i try to eat a little more, sleep a little later and i dont work out. that has helped me recover faster and get back in the gym in top form.
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Old 02-14-2011, 05:37 AM
 
Location: Here, or there
214 posts, read 704,572 times
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I still work out when I have a little cold. If I am real sick tho I will take the day off. I like sitting in the steam room or sauna when I have a cold.
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Old 02-14-2011, 06:04 AM
 
Location: Brambleton, VA
2,186 posts, read 7,928,643 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GREEN LEAVES OF SUMMER View Post
Good rule of thumb would be don't work out if you feel nauseous, are highly contagious and/or have a fever.

Most of the experts agree that if your symptoms are above the neck(like runny nose or sore throat) go ahead, work out. Maybe take it easy though.

If it's below the neck-like body aches, chills, stomach problems, then skip working out and take it easy until you feel better.
Agree with this. It is a great rule of thumb. There is no harm in staying home for a couple days to recuperate regardless. I would prefer a lot of sick people to just stay home instead of cough, sniffle, etc. next to me on the treadmill at the gym. You will find initially that your immune system goes a bit down when you first start working out and you may have more sick symptoms than usual, but after a few months that changes for the better and you overcome any sniffles, and sickness a bit faster. The only time I really am concerned about missing days of working out are when I am getting close to a race. Otherwise, I take a break.
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Old 02-14-2011, 06:32 AM
 
Location: Middle America
37,409 posts, read 53,418,348 times
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Depends on what's wrong. If I'm dizzy, nauseous, or feverish, I'm not going to work out. But since this happens like once every five years, it's not a big thing.

Due to my job, I pick up a LOT of upper respiratory stuff (very hands-on work with disabled children, lots of transfer of germs, and these kids have weak immune systems and get sick a lot...there isn't enough Lysol in the world). My general rule of thumb is that if I can't breathe through my nose, I'm probably not gonna go gangbusters with the workout, I'm gonna take that extra time and rest up.

Overall, though, due to exercising, I tend to pick up less and less of this stuff, even though I'm exposed to it.
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