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I wonder how you decide when to forgo a workout when you've got a cold. I skipped the gym this morning and I am hating on myself as I felt only slightly miserable this morning as compared to how I feel now. I now think I probably coulda put out some pt earlier in retrospect. Now, I feel the escalation of symptoms--painful sinuses and headache now as opposed to stuffy head this morning. Now, I don't have it in me and would kill to take a nap now....
So, how do you know when you really make it worse by going to the gym and when should you suck it up and get the job done?
My son and I were having this same discussion last week. I was just like you are now.
He told me to go do 2 hours on the treadmill, said I would feel crappy after but the next day my immune system would kick in. I stayed home and lifted weights instead.
There is nothing wrong with taking a day off when you are sick. Use that time to rest up, and not feel guilty about doing so. Your body will not be able to function at full capacity for the workout anyhow, so why put it through the paces of doing so? Plus, you are at greater risk for injury, as you won't be able to concentrate on the workout as well.
Of course, this is all dependent on exactly what is wrong with you, and how bad you feel. If you have a tiny cold, working out would probably be alright. If you have a raging flu, then use common sense, and take a day or two off.
Yeah...I also used to think that nutting-up and toughing-out a good, hard cardio workout when I was sick would also help "sweat out" my cold. But I've come to learn that this, alas, is not how it works. Colds are caused by viruses, and all those uncomfortable symptoms we undergo when plagued by one is not really the virus' work, but rather that of our own immune system--in the form of histamines coursing through our bodies. Thus, ramping-up our heartbeat only serves to get these histamines flowing faster, but doing nothing to expidite the virus' demise.
Bottom line: when you're sick, take a break from the gym and get some rest and drink plenty of fluids. No matter what ya do, the virus is gonna take about 7-10 days to leave your body, so you might as well be comfortable during that time.
Take animalpak, I haven't been sick since I started taking them more than 6 months ago, inspite of swimming in lakes near freezing temperature (there is an island in our campus lake that is involved in some traditions...) numerous times, all other participants always get sick.
I used to be the guy who gets cold after cold, not any more.
I was listening to a DR on a radio show discuss the issue. She said if it is in the head (sinus, etc), it would be ok for a mild workout. However, if the virus is in the chest, do not workout. She then commented on deaths of military members in boot camp that have died while being forced (?) to work out while sick.
I wonder how you decide when to forgo a workout when you've got a cold. I skipped the gym this morning and I am hating on myself as I felt only slightly miserable this morning as compared to how I feel now. I now think I probably coulda put out some pt earlier in retrospect. Now, I feel the escalation of symptoms--painful sinuses and headache now as opposed to stuffy head this morning. Now, I don't have it in me and would kill to take a nap now....
So, how do you know when you really make it worse by going to the gym and when should you suck it up and get the job done?
I work-out when I have a cold. I don't work-out if I have any kind of fever. So sniffles... yes, 100.4 degree fever... no. When it comes to jogging, if I'm somewhat hobbled with a pulled muscle or a strain, I jog easily until I am warmed-up. If I then find I am running with any kind of limp, I immediately stop and take at least that day off.
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Working out when sick
