Returning To Exercise, After Being Sick.

For over a week, I had the thing that was going around the village.  I had the chills, fever, a queasy stomach and so much more.  It was just a couple days ago that I felt recovered enough to even think about exercising.  

My brain kept telling me to jump back into my routine, just like I'd been doing it fore I got sick while my mind said "No way!!!!!" So lets see what is best.  I've honestly heard people argue for both sides so we'll see what is recommended.  

First of all, it is considered relatively safe to exercise as long as all your symptoms ae above your neck such as mild sore throat or a runny nose. However, if you feel a bit less energetic  than normal, think about reducing your workouts intensity or duration. 

On the other hand, if your symptoms are below your neck such as fever, throwing up, diarrhea, or a deep cough, or achy muscles, think about backing off completely because your body is telling you that it is fighting infection.  If you try to exercise with all this happening, you can stress the system further. 

Although regular exercise has been shown to boost your immunity, there is absolutely no evidence that a good workout helps you get over being sick sooner.  In fact, the idea that one can sweat out a fever by exercising is completely untrue. The problem is that exercise can increase your heart rate and body temperature while increasing the possibility of dehydration if you are running a fever.

It is strongly recommended that one wait a few days after the fever finally breaks to resume exercising.  A person should work on staying well hydrated, eating well, and not overdoing it. So when you are ready to return to exercising, think about adjusting so you work on cardio first rather than focusing on weights.  Look at moving your muscles isometrically to get them back into shape.  Sit there and concentrate on squeezing each set for at least 30 seconds at a time.

When you get back to exercising, adhere to the 50 percent rule.  This means that if you do a 30 minute cross training routine, begin with 15 minutes or instead of using 10 pounds weights, drop down to 5 pound weights so your body can easily adjust to working out again.

Don't be afraid to ease back in so if you need to take three days between working out, do so, or instead of doing crunches every other day, you might look at doing them every three days.  You don't want to force things and end up sick again.  The final stage, is to listen to your body. If something hurts, back off, check with your doctor, and don't force yourself.

Just remember, it is ok to return to exercising but one needs to listen to your body, back off so you don't hurt yourself and you stay healthy. Slowly, work your way to the workout you used to do.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.