Have you ever felt a sniffle coming on and wondered whether you should work out?
It can be pretty confusing to know if you should exercise if you’re feeling a bit under the weather.
Here are a few rules of thumb regarding exercise and illness, PLUS some easy things you can do to avoid spreading or catching any “bugs.”
First of all: If you have a fever, your body is fighting off an illness so you definitely DO NOT want to work out …you want your resources to go to battle the virus!
Your body is already getting a workout, so let it do its job.
If you do NOT have a fever, the general rule of thumb is if your symptoms are above your neck (i.e., nasal congestion and a non-productive cough), you are safe to work out.
But if you have symptoms below the neck – productive cough, body aches, upset stomach, etc. – take at least a couple of days off to get better.
Also, no matter where your symptoms are, here’s something to keep in mind: you don’t want to spread your germs with others, so when it doubt, just stay home.
If you feel like you absolutely must workout, go for a walk, do some light stretches, or make use of the hand sanitizer out on the gym tables. 🙂
Speaking of hand sanitizer, washing your hands frequently is one of the best things you can do for illness prevention. These other tips from the Centers for Disease Control can also help you avoid picking up and spreading germs:
- Whenever possible, keep your distance from people you know are sick.
- Don’t touch your face.
- Wash/disinfect surfaces and objects that people touch frequently (doorknobs, countertops, water cooler handles, etc.).
- If you’re sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is normal – without using meds to bring it down – unless you have to go to the doctor or the store for supplies.
- Cover your nose/mouth with a tissue if you cough or sneeze, and throw the tissue in the trash immediately after you use it.
You won’t lose any momentum on your fitness program if you take a day or two off to recover – and you’ll feel that much better in the long run if you listen to your body!
The best course of action, of course, is to prevent illness as much as possible in the first place through a consistent healthy lifestyle. Some of our favorite things to do are flooding our body with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, getting adequate sleep, upping our water intake, sipping Elderberry Syrup, taking Vitamin D supplements, keeping our gut health in check and working out regularly.
We love talking about this stuff, so please reach out if you need any support in these areas.
Until then, may you have sniffle-free sweat seshes and lots of healthy gains!
Jess + Team Valeo
REFERENCE:
www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/preventing.htm