Can you exercise if you have a cold?

[FreshNewbie]

Hi All!
It might be a pretty silly question, and it probably been asked before. However, I feel like my case a bit different. I been working out ( doing cardio and weight training) for 5 years now, and I believe that really really helped me to not get sick often during the year. But of course you can't escape from catching this one really nasty cold with cough and runny nose and fever at least once in the summer. So, here I am, already sick for 2 weeks, and I am just not willing to give up exercising and biking just becaues of some cold. Antibiotics are my worst enemy, will take them only under my grandma's 3 hour lecture ( which i am not planning to have). So anyway, to make this short my question is whether any of you still exercise when you are sick, how do you prevent getting sick, and the most important under what intensity you can exercise??? As for me, I am way too stubborn and I will go in the gym even if subconsiciously I know I should take a rest ( call it addiction). Thanx to all of you for your input :D

Enjoy your rides

[Technotart]

Tell your gramma antibiotics have absolutely NO effect on a cold!!!!! Colds are caused by a virus, and antibiotics only kill bacteria - not viruses. If you are not having respiratory symptoms like difficulty breathing, you may train as much you feel up to doing, but don't train at your highest level. Your body needs energy to heal, but it shouldn't keep you from training altogether if you feel up to it.

The trick is reduce the training to the point where you are still getting some good out of it, but you are still conserving some resources for your immune system to use in fighting things off. When you begin to feel better, ramp it back up a little at a time to give your body time to readjust. Vitamin C and Zinc and good nutrition and hydration are even more critically important when you are not feeling up to snuff.

*IF* for some reason you end up on antibiotics you either need to eat a cup of live culture yogurtevery day, OR take acidophilus every day that you are on antibiotics and for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Acidophilus should be part of total nutrition regimen anyway as it prevents the over growth of yeast in the gut. Dairy products can thicken secretions so the capsules would be preferable to yogurt if you have cough/runny nose and that kind of thing. Saline nasal spray several times a day can help to thin secretions and get those sinuses to drain completely.

Tylenol and or ibuprofen or whatever works for you should help to reduce muscle aches and pains. And a little extra sleep never hurt either!

[FreshNewbie]

Thank you Technotart!!!!!!!!
Although my granny doesn't suggest i take antibiotics, but it's what I usually end up with when I see a doctor. Last summer I had a pretty bad case of bronchitis around the same time ( heat + AC = I am sick :eek: ) So now every time a get a cold I am stuck with it for a while. I started to take my multi couple of days ago and that seems to ease runny nose and cough a little. Thank you very much for the input, it's great that you can always count on an educated information on this great forum. :D

[drplasma64]

I agree you can still exercise if you have a cold, just take it easy and listen to your body.

However, PLEASE consider doing something other than going to the gym where you will expose lots of other people to your cold, especially if you are using weight machines or anything else where people will be in contact with stuff you touch. That is the surest way to spread germs.

[Honeywell23]

do plenty of vitamin C and make sure you're taking a good multi vitamin everyday. that will ensure less chances of getting sick. I hope you feel better soon!!

[Technotart]

If it progresses to bronchitis you probably do need antibiotics, because that is the sign of a bacterial infection in TOP of whatever virus set it all in motion...

Now I KNOW I don't need to say this but I have seen people on their bikes smoking, so I will say it anyway! IF anyone smokes, and has had bronchitis repeatedly, it is a sign that they are heading into emphysema which is a chronic lifelong debilitating disease. Please don't smoke!

And I second the request that you work out in your own space rather than around others who might catch what you have!

I love hand sanitizer - especially at the gym!

[FreshNewbie]

Thankfully I do not smoke and not planning on it either. I seen guys in my gym who would come there 5 times a week, lift heavy weights and then go for smoke breaks during their workouts :confused: ( i will not comment any further). I do workout in my own space now since I recently got a treadmill at home, and I always had planty of tapes and my own sets of dumbells. Unfortunatelly, since I am in college I can't escape from sitting or interracting with large groups of people ( can't skip classes either). Although, I did notice that if I don't workout I feel weaker when i am sick. Anyway, didn't mean to make such a big deal out of it, just wanted an advice. Thank you all for input :-)


Hope you all have great rides this weekend, I am definatelly going to ride and ride and ride

[han-grrl]

the rule for exercising when sick is that if the symptoms are above the neck, like a headache, exercise with reduced intensity. if symptoms are below the neck (fever, body aches, coughing) then dont exercise. when you return to exercise start at lower intensity. it sucks to have to stop, but if you dont' respect your body's signals then things will just get worse.

to avoid getting sick:

make sure you are taking rest days
eat properly


cheers

Hannah

[RoadRaven]

What Han said... if the symptoms are above the throat/neck its ok to exercise if you still feel like it, but once the symptoms progress to the chest forget it - you'll do more damage to your respitratory system and likely make yourself more sick.

Antibiotics are also something to be saved for only extreme situations. They are over-prescribed and over-used and this is leading to lower immunity in humans.

If you get a secondary infection (when the 'snot' turns green, for example) then antibiotics might help. But quite frankly, you are better in most cases to take some pain killers to lower the fever, drink loads of water and eat lots of citrus and let your body battle for you.

[bounceswoosh]

the rule for exercising when sick is that if the symptoms are above the neck, like a headache, exercise with reduced intensity. if symptoms are below the neck (fever, body aches, coughing) then dont exercise. when you return to exercise start at lower intensity. it sucks to have to stop, but if you dont' respect your body's signals then things will just get worse.

to avoid getting sick:

make sure you are taking rest days
eat properly


cheers

Hannah

I just wanted to chime in that I've also heard the above the neck/below the neck rule. Apparently phlegm counts as above the neck, in case you're wondering. Chills, fever, aches, etc. are all below the neck; so is the kind of cough that you can feel in your chest.

Also, I just spoke to a nutritionist a couple of days ago, and she said (wrt healthy times, not being sick) to take two rest days a week. You can do something very light on those days, but not something that you think of as "real exercise." She did add that if you feel exhausted from a lot of working out, to listen to your body and take a break.

[KSH]

Hi All!
It might be a pretty silly question, and it probably been asked before. However, I feel like my case a bit different. I been working out ( doing cardio and weight training) for 5 years now, and I believe that really really helped me to not get sick often during the year. But of course you can't escape from catching this one really nasty cold with cough and runny nose and fever at least once in the summer. So, here I am, already sick for 2 weeks, and I am just not willing to give up exercising and biking just becaues of some cold. Antibiotics are my worst enemy, will take them only under my grandma's 3 hour lecture ( which i am not planning to have). So anyway, to make this short my question is whether any of you still exercise when you are sick, how do you prevent getting sick, and the most important under what intensity you can exercise??? As for me, I am way too stubborn and I will go in the gym even if subconsiciously I know I should take a rest ( call it addiction). Thanx to all of you for your input :D

Enjoy your rides

Well, I take calcium and Vitamin C... I don't stay out in the cold... I get enough rest... I don't smoke... I eat somewhat healthy (vegetarian)... and I workout 4-6 days a week.

I haven't had a cold in about a year or so. But... that is also because I changed my lifestyle from partying all night on the weekends... to riding my bike on the weekends!

Anyhoo, when I have been sick, I always REST and give myself time to get better. I think that working out will just make it so your body won't have time to heal.

OH... and I have also found that drinking lots of OJ when I am sick!

Best of luck in getting better... and give your body a little rest... so it can get back to it's old self!

[FreshNewbie]

Thanx to all of you. Thought to let you know that I am finally healed!!!!!!!! Yeyyyyyyyyyyy I hate being sick. I went and bought myself vitamin C supplement and that seemed to just really speed it up.




Happy Rides