Working Out While Sick
If you had asked me one year ago if you should go to the gym while sick, I would have responded with a resounding “OF COURSE! As long as you don’t have the flu!”
Well, things are different now, and we live in a much different world. Bottom line, my advice is to work out while sick under two conditions and only two conditions.
1) If you’re in a situation where you will not expose those around you to your illness. Don’t get others sick. Don’t go to the gym while sick and rationalize it by saying you’ll stay 6 feet away from everyone or while top your equipment. No, it doesn’t work like that. We’ve just surpassed 200,000 COVID deaths in the US. Yes, I know the mild cold isn’t COVID and you could even argue that when the pandemic ends, things should be back to normal without masks, etc. But, none of that matters. You still owe it to humanity to not get others sick if you can help it, which you can. So, don’t workout while sick if it means you’re going to expose others, no matter how mild your illness is.
2) Only workout if your have a mild respiratory illness. Things like the mild cold or being stuffed up — it’s fine to workout under these circumstances. In fact, studies have showed that moderate intensity exercise while sick reduces inflammation and improves immune response (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803113/). Anecdotally, I find that working out while having a cold really helps. I forget I have a sore throat or my sniffles go away. Cardio is even better because I end up over-hydrating which generally makes me feel better. Also anecdotally, I will tell you that we really need to pay attention to the “mild” part of working out with a “mild” cold or illness. Don’t do it while you have the flu. I once went to the gym and did my TABATA sprint routine. I knew I was sick, but what I didn’t know is that I had the flu. After I was doing sprinting, I had to lay on a yoga mat for an hour. When I made it home, I suffered the worst flu symptoms I ever have. Your body needs the rest when you are moderately-to-severely sick. Don’t disregard rest.
There you have it folks. It’s 2020 — don’t workout while sick unless you are 1) not exposing others to your illness, and 2) only mildly ill (studies have those that exercise helps reduce inflammation and improves immune response in these situations).
As always, reach out if you have any questions.
