Should you work out when you are sick? The topic came up for me this week because – you guessed it – I have come down with a good old-fashioned common cold.
On day one and two, other than a stuffy nose, I was OK and I ran anyway (granted, with a wad of kleenex stuffed in my sleeve!) But by day four, it had settled into my chest and I was walking around whooping like a crane. It didn’t FEEL like I should run - - but I thought maybe I was being a wuss. So I did what any runner in the Internet age might do – I Googled it!
What I found was a few common themes and some debate, too, especially in the hardcore runner crowd. Convinced they can “sweat it out”, there seem to be a lot of runners who consider it a badge of courage to run while battling a cold or the flu. But the common themes from the medicos boiled down to what they called “the neck check”. Put simply, if your symptoms are above the neck or collarbone - - like a stuffy nose or sore throat – you are good to go if you wish to run. Just take it a little easier than normal. But if your symptoms are below the neck or collarbone - - a deep cough, stomach nausea, etc. - - don’t do it. Take a day, or more, of rest.
One very sobering piece of information: If you have a fever or body aches, don’t EVEN try it. I read all about myocarditis, which is an infection of the heart. In the exertion of a run or other cardio workout, the infection your body is trying to fight off can literally go to your heart! Yipes. So running with flu-like symptoms is a big fat NO.
I don’t have the flu thank goodness. But considering that my cough resembles a junkyard dog’s bark, instead of enjoying my longer weekend run on a bright, snowy, sunny day, I’m surfing the interwebs, watching movies, and seeing how big the pile of kleenex in my wastebasket will get before this blasted cold moves on down the road.
*Sniff* Damned cold.
1 comments:
interesting! Unfortunately if i feel sick I just use that as an excuse to not workout...
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