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Training
or Television? Working out when you're not Well
Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner
Understatement of the week: Creating an exercise routine
you can actually stick to is not the easiest thing in the
world. Corollary to understatement: Waking up sick on a
day you’d planned on working out can be a tad frustrating.
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It’s tempting to ignore that ‘under the weather’
feeling and push on regardless. Our minds threaten us with
pictures of how much ground we’ll lose if we don’t
train. We’re concerned that we’re being too
soft with ourselves (as one of my friends described it,
‘If I stopped training every time there was something
wrong with my body, I’d never get anything done!’)
Or we worry that if we break our routine once, we’ll
never get back into it.
Sometimes it’s actually OK to exercise when ill.
Although no-one’s been able to prove that you can
‘sweat out a cold’, if your only symptom is
a sniffle, moderate exercise can sometimes help you feel
clearer in the short term. Going for a walk is one of the
most effective fixes for a headache. But all too often,
exercising when you’re unwell can make you end up
sicker than you started out.
THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE
To understand why this is, it may help to revisit the
effect exercise has on your body. Your heart rate rises,
your core temperature increases, your body burns fuel faster
than usual, you lose water through perspiration, and your
respiratory and circulatory systems (as well as the muscles
you’re working) are all stressed well beyond their
normal levels. In short, the demands for your body’s
resources increase markedly.
In a well-rested, well-nourished body, this is no trouble.
When the body is weakened by sickness, however, there’s
potential for problems. For example, if you’re running
a fever, your core temperature is already high. Raising
it higher by pushing yourself during a workout can be dangerous.
In a similar vein, we’re told to keep our fluids up
when we’re sick because with a higher core temperature,
it’s easy to become dehydrated. Exercising (which
increases water loss) makes dehydration more likely.
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CONSIDERATION
So how do we know when to push on regardless, and when
to just say ‘no’? If you exercise around other
people – e.g. in a gym, class, or as part of a club
– your first concern needs to be consideration for
them. Fellow exercisers will not thank you for sharing your
bug with them. If you’re coughing and sneezing –
or if you’re touching exercise equipment that will
be touched by other people – it’s only polite
to stay away until you’re no longer infectious. If
you’re not sure how long this will be, speak to your
doctor.
THE NECK CHECK
Assuming your illness isn’t contagious, however
(or that you work out alone), you have more choices. One
quick, simple tool for deciding is the ‘neck check’
developed by Dr Randy Eichner at the University of Oklahoma.
With this system, you simply look at where your symptoms
are located.
If they’re above the neck, e.g. headache, sniffles
and/or a slightly scratchy throat, it may be OK to keep
exercising – but take it very slow. Exercise at about
50% of your usual intensity for the first ten minutes, then
stop and see how you feel. If you feel about the same or
better than when you started, feel free to continue - gradually
raising the intensity. If you feel dizzy, floaty, or in
any way worse than you did when you started, however, stop
immediately, and give yourself the rest of the day off.
If any of your symptoms are below the neck – fever,
coughing, nausea, stomach cramps or aching muscles –
it’s better to skip your workout altogether and stay
wrapped up in bed. Exercising with any of these symptoms
diverts your body’s much-needed resources from where
they’re needed to fight off your illness (in effect,
you’ve joined in the battle – on the side of
the germs!), and may additionally increase your likelihood
of injuring yourself.
ASK YOURSELF "WHY?"
Look at your symptoms on a day-by-day basis, and if you’re
ever unsure whether to resting or exercise, contact your
doctor for advice. If you’re reluctant to take time
off, it can help to step back and ask yourself why you’re
exercising in the first place. If you’re training
for a specific event, ask yourself whether it’s better
to take a couple of days off now, or tough it out and risk
having to take a couple of months out of your regime later.
If you exercise because it makes you feel better and healthier
– ask yourself the logic of making your body miserable
by pushing it when it’s telling you it needs to heal.
If you have any questions about this week’s article,
please don’t hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, until
next time, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum
Life.
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