Working Out When You’re Sick: Yes or No!

Getting sick is no fun for anyone. But it’s especially challenging when you work out. Having developed the workout habit, we thrive on the discipline of hitting the gym, even when we don’t feel like it. That desire to not wimp out on our workouts can make it a real challenge to know when we should stay away from the gym. In this article, we’ll shine some common sense on the issue of working out when you’re sick.

Working out makes us feel better. It can clear out the lungs, clear the nasal passage, boost blood circulation and release feel good endorphins. All of these can help to offset the lousy feeling that overwhelms us when we feel sick. So it is no surprise that a lot of people want to keep training when they’re feeling lousy.

There is some research. However, that high intensity exercise will actually suppress your body’s natural immunity. As a result, working out may actually be counterproductive to your recovery.

There is an unofficial gauge whether you should work out or stay in bed that is called the ‘above the neck’ rule. It states that if your symptoms are above the neck, such as …

• runny nose
• the sniffles
• earache

then you should be good to work out. You should, though, curtail the intensity and length of your normal workouts. Go through a relatively mild session that won’t overtax your body.

However, if your symptoms are below the neck, including such things as . . .

• Nausea
• Fever
• Diarrhea
• Chest pain

then you should stay home.

Let’s now drill down on some specific illnesses to determine whether it’s really a good idea to hit the gym when you’re dealing with their ill effects.

During the winter months, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll come down with a mild cold. Symptoms include a stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, and a headache. It is caused by a viral infection in the nose and/or throat.

When you have a mild cold, it is generally ok to engage in some light exercise. You will usually feel better after a mild sweat session and a shower than you did beforehand. Rather than doing your normal weight training session, you might, depending on the severity of your symptoms, decide to forego the gym and go for a walk around the neighborhood, or reduce your weights by 50 percent and train with higher reps. This will produce a less intense workout that will also boost the blood flow through your body to fast-track oxygen and nutrients to your cells.

Apart from considering how you feel, of course, you, as a responsible exerciser, should also consider other gym goers when you’ve got a cold. Do you really want to be responsible for spreading germs to other people in the gym? Of course, you don’t. So, if you're going to head to the gym with a cold, you should follow good hygiene habits, including frequently washing your hands and coughing into your elbow.

Given the COVID pandemic climate that we are still living with, you may also want to consider wearing a mask when you go to the gym with a cold.

A workout you might like:

When you’ve got a runny nose, you feel constricted and blocked up. While the condition may be associated with a cold, it could also be related to hayfever or some other allergy. If your stuffy nose is accompanied by chest congestion and/or a hacking cough, you should stay home.

On the other hand, a stuffed nose that is not accompanied by other symptoms, getting some exercise can be helpful. A mild cardio session can open up the nasal passage, unblocking your nose and making you feel a whole lot less lousy.

It is best to do some form of cardio when you choose to do exercise with a stuffy nose. Getting that cardio in the outdoors by way of a bike ride or light jog will also allow you to breathe in refreshing fresh air.

If you’re suffering from an earache, it’s probably related to a throat infection, sinus issues, or a toothache. If your ear trouble causes balance issues then you definitely should not do any exercise. Most of the time, however, earache will not do that. Rather, it will result in a dull ache in one or both of your ears.

It is generally safe to do some light exercise when you’ve got an earache. You may find, as I did recently, though, that the constant ache in your ear makes it impossible for you to focus on the workout. It will probably also make wearing headphones a non-starter!

A hacking cough may indicate an escalation of cold symptoms or even the onset of a respiratory infection such as pneumonia. If you have a persistent cough you should definitely stay away from the gym. Even if you otherwise feel fine, other gym members are not going to be very happy working out alongside a person who’s constantly coughing, especially in the current climate.

A persistent cough is a sure sign that your respiratory system is compromised. You won’t be able to adequately fill your lungs with oxygen. As a result, you’ll end up short of breath and easily fatigued. You won’t be in any condition to complete a workout, so put your feet up and watch some Netflix!

If you’re a guy like me, every time you get a slight throat tickle, you’re convinced that you’ve got the flu. In reality, there’s a big difference between a mild cold and the flu. Flu symptoms include chills, a fever, chronic headache, chest congestion, runny nose, and sore throat.

When you’ve got the flu, you are in no condition to exercise. Working out with influenza could, in fact, be dangerous. It will dehydrate you and could cause you to pass out. The flu is also highly contagious, being transmitted through the air when you breathe.

The bottom line on working out when you are unwell is to listen to your body. If you feel as if your body can handle it, go ahead and do some light exercise. You should lean toward light cardio exercise outdoors. If you are going to the gym, be sure to follow COVID precautions, cut back on your intensity level, and stop if you feel nauseous or faint.