SlendHer

Helping You Get A Slimmer, Fitter Body

  • Start Here Now
  • About SlendHer
  • Write for Us
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Health News / Calling In Sick: Should You Workout When You Feel Less Than Best?

Calling In Sick: Should You Workout When You Feel Less Than Best?

By Carrie Anton Leave a Comment

Calling in sick

“Feed a cold. Starve a fever.” But what the old adage fails to mention is what to do about working out. To exercise or not to exercise is often the question when you start to feel rundown, get a scratchy throat, or an upset stomach. Skipping the gym to grab some zzzs may be just what you need. However, if you’re in a groove with a workout routine that is working well for you, taking a break may have you in fear of falling off track.

Calling In Sick
Ease up or exercise? What to do when you’re sick

Give Yourself a Break
Sick or not, it’s important to remind yourself of how strong you are–mentally and physically. If you’ve been able to stick to a fat loss program so far, a day or two away from your normal schedule isn’t going to completely reverse your efforts. In fact, if you decide to forge ahead thinking that you can just work through the symptoms, you could be putting yourself out longer than had you taken a short break from the start.

Why? Well, when you get sick, your immune system needs to be in fighting shape to battle anything that ails you. The same is true when you workout. Muscle soreness comes from your muscle tissues breaking down so that they can be rebuilt to be stronger. If you do the two at the same time, your immune system is weakened and is likely to lose the fight against an illness. What started as “just a head cold” could turn into a bronchial infection all because your body didn’t have the oomph it needs to keep the bad guys at bay.

Know Your Limits
If you still want to get a workout in, give your symptoms a once over before lacing up your sneakers. A WebMD expert recommends doing a “neck check.” Symptoms above the neck–sneezing, tearing eyes, congestion–might be OK to keep moving. Symptoms below the neck–coughing, body aches, and fatigue–mean you should give it a rest. If you have a fever, you’re definitely in need of some recouping.

Scale Back a Bit
If you’re convinced that your symptoms are minor and you want to keep working out, do so at a slower pace. If you usually run, try a fast walk. If you love to strength train, switch from heavy weights with fewer reps to lighter weights with more reps.

If you decide to do your normal routine, be sure to listen to your body. If you just don’t seem to have the same stamina as usual, or if your breathing feels labored, take things down a notch or hang it up for the day and head to bed.

Exercise Might Help
Restorative exercises, such as yoga and tai chi, could be just what the doctor ordered when you’re sick and want to exercise. Choose classes that are slower moving, such as a Yin yoga class, which is focused on supported stretches held for longer periods of time. A slow hot yoga class could be a great way to help sweat out the toxins in your body without having to get your heart rate up high. Be sure to drink lots of water during and following to avoid dehydration.

While it’s best to take a break when your body seems in need for one, it doesn’t mean your workout days are numbered when symptoms set in. Just remember that doctors orders means being fitness free when you have a fever, and keeping your symptoms in check before embarking on your exercise. If you workout in a class or group atmosphere, keep other people’s health in mind as well. Sweating in public places is an easy way to share illnesses that others don’t want. Don’t make people around you sacrifice their workouts simply because you wouldn’t sacrifice yours.

What’s your go to health remedy? Tell us in the comments!

[adform]

Source
WebMD

Carrie Anton (270 Posts)

Carrie Anton is a freelance writer focusing on health, fitness, and sports. She's been published in Self, Women's Health, Oxygen, and Maximum Fitness.


Filed Under: Health News, Women's Fitness Tagged With: exercise, health, ill, sick, under the weather, walk, yoga

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search SlendHer

Categories

  • Fat Loss
  • Featured
  • Health News
  • Healthy Eating
  • Women's Fitness

Popular Articles

Shorts Season

Six Exercises to Get Your Legs in Shape for Shorts Season

As the mercury rises right on into summer, the need to wear shorts to stay cool--and look cute!--will likely rise, too. However, if you think … Continue Reading

calf workouts with dumbells

Calf Workouts with Dumbbells for Lovely, Lean Legs

Exercises such as squats, deadlifts and glute raises likely come to mind when you think of a legs workout. And for good reason--they target the … Continue Reading

5 Crockpot

5 Healthy Meal Tips Courtesy of Your Crockpot

  Think you have to eat nothing but processed-laden foods from your slow cooker? That’s a crock! While chilly days of old may have meant … Continue Reading

Our Latest Posts

  • Acupuncture for Migraines: Does It Work?
  • Does Exercise Boost Immunity?
  • What are the Best Natural Immune Boosters?
  • 9 Herbs for Healthy Kidneys
  • Can Estrogen Dominance Cause Weight Gain?

Copyright © 2025 · Contact Us · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok