If you have stopped by the Big Top here anytime in the last couple weeks you would know that I have been sick. I’m not the most pleasant, long-suffering sick person so I complained…a lot…here…on Facebook…on Twitter…at ModMom’s Club …at home…all the time. I complained so much it was probably even more annoying than my over-use of the ellipsis. I guess that I’m just not the silently languishing in my illness kind of girl. But I did have a lot of downtime and with that downtime I had time to reflect on a number of things including the fact that my next race is just around the corner and how in the world was I possibly going to be ready to run?
I reflect on the really important things here people.
But since is the season of the colds and flu and so many of my fellow Shredheads and Tiarathoners are/have been struggling with more than their fair share of the sickies perhaps we should be asking whether or not we should be working out when sick. Nobody (that I know) likes to get sick. There are so many other things that we could be doing besides hacking up a lung or feeling like our sinuses are about to erupt. It can be all the more frustrating when one is in physical training and conditioning whether it is for a big event or just to get and stay fit. So, do you workout when you are sick? Should you? Are you just a wimp-ass if you don’t?
The general rule of thumb among health and fitness experts is if your symptoms are above the neck (sinus drainage, watery eyes, scratchy throat) you can go ahead and exercise—but only if you really feel like it and if you keep it completely aerobic and if your symptoms are below the neck (coughing, body aches) or involve a bacterial infection (sinus, bronchitis, walking pneumonia) then it is best to take a few days off and just rest. Along with this simple, basic rule of thumb also keep in mind:
- Do not ignore symptoms that could be attributable to the heart, including shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, fainting, chest pain or lightheadedness. See a doctor immediately if you have any question about the health of your heart.
- Remember to have reasonable and lowered performance expectations after you’ve been ill.
- Listen to your body and practice restraint. Wait to resume training until your motivation and health have completely returned. You have only one body, take care of it.
While it might be tempting to push through the fever, the body aches, the pain it is important to understand what is going on with your body and why you should just take it easy, rest, drink your fluids and exercise another day. During an infection, the body becomes catabolic (the opposite of anabolic) and breaks down muscle protein. The degree of muscle catabolism and protein loss is related to the height and duration of the fever caused by the infection. Your muscles have many good reasons to ache when you have an infection. Skeletal muscle is the main source of catabolized protein, but heart muscle contributes as well. Skeletal muscle biopsies done in feverish people and laboratory animals during acute infections demonstrate microscopic evidence of muscle damage. The same chemicals that initiate muscle breakdown during infection also inhibit effective muscle building and repair, making it virtually impossible to build muscle during any infection more serious than a cold. Unfortunately, you can’t even lose body fat while you are sick, as fat metabolism is impaired during infections. This causes the sick person to rely more heavily on muscle as an energy source than it normally would during times of physical stress (e.g., starvation or heavy training). So any weight loss during a febrile illness is generally lean muscle mass.
The way I see it, it just is not worth it to risk muscle damage. I mean I have worked so hard these last nine months or so. Why do I want to tear down what I have built up? I don’t. I also don’t want to set my body up for even more potential damage like viral myocarditis or Guillan-Barre Syndrome. While complications like these are indeed rare, their effects and damage is irreversible. A bad chest cold, a strep infection or the flu is temporary. To me, after considering the advice of health and fitness experts and respect the body I have worked so hard on building up. The way I see it, it is so much more than my 47 year old self looking hot in a swimsuit. I am in this for the health of it all…my health.
Deciding to take a few days off and rest was the best thing but what about resuming my training plan? Fitness experts advise:
- Miss between one and three days of a training plan, just forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout, though with these modifications. You may need to cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more. If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
- Miss three to seven days of a training plan due to illness, forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout with these modifications. Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more. If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
- Miss more than two weeks of a training plan due to illness, you’ll need to go back and rebuild lost fitness. Go back and repeat the three or four weeks prior to the onset of the illness. Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day. Once you begin to do faster workouts, you may need to reduce the accumulated time of the intensity scheduled by 20 to 50 percent.
Finally, use common sense. If you are sneezing, coughing and carrying on with your illness, most people (including you, if the roles were reversed) would prefer you stay home until you’re healthy. I know I feel that way. As always, health (yours, mine, ours) first, performance second. Get well soon!
I reflect on the really important things here people.
But since is the season of the colds and flu and so many of my fellow Shredheads and Tiarathoners are/have been struggling with more than their fair share of the sickies perhaps we should be asking whether or not we should be working out when sick. Nobody (that I know) likes to get sick. There are so many other things that we could be doing besides hacking up a lung or feeling like our sinuses are about to erupt. It can be all the more frustrating when one is in physical training and conditioning whether it is for a big event or just to get and stay fit. So, do you workout when you are sick? Should you? Are you just a wimp-ass if you don’t?
The general rule of thumb among health and fitness experts is if your symptoms are above the neck (sinus drainage, watery eyes, scratchy throat) you can go ahead and exercise—but only if you really feel like it and if you keep it completely aerobic and if your symptoms are below the neck (coughing, body aches) or involve a bacterial infection (sinus, bronchitis, walking pneumonia) then it is best to take a few days off and just rest. Along with this simple, basic rule of thumb also keep in mind:
While it might be tempting to push through the fever, the body aches, the pain it is important to understand what is going on with your body and why you should just take it easy, rest, drink your fluids and exercise another day. During an infection, the body becomes catabolic (the opposite of anabolic) and breaks down muscle protein. The degree of muscle catabolism and protein loss is related to the height and duration of the fever caused by the infection. Your muscles have many good reasons to ache when you have an infection. Skeletal muscle is the main source of catabolized protein, but heart muscle contributes as well. Skeletal muscle biopsies done in feverish people and laboratory animals during acute infections demonstrate microscopic evidence of muscle damage. The same chemicals that initiate muscle breakdown during infection also inhibit effective muscle building and repair, making it virtually impossible to build muscle during any infection more serious than a cold. Unfortunately, you can’t even lose body fat while you are sick, as fat metabolism is impaired during infections. This causes the sick person to rely more heavily on muscle as an energy source than it normally would during times of physical stress (e.g., starvation or heavy training). So any weight loss during a febrile illness is generally lean muscle mass.
The way I see it, it just is not worth it to risk muscle damage. I mean I have worked so hard these last nine months or so. Why do I want to tear down what I have built up? I don’t. I also don’t want to set my body up for even more potential damage like viral myocarditis or Guillan-Barre Syndrome. While complications like these are indeed rare, their effects and damage is irreversible. A bad chest cold, a strep infection or the flu is temporary. To me, after considering the advice of health and fitness experts and respect the body I have worked so hard on building up. The way I see it, it is so much more than my 47 year old self looking hot in a swimsuit. I am in this for the health of it all…my health.
Deciding to take a few days off and rest was the best thing but what about resuming my training plan? Fitness experts advise:
Finally, use common sense. If you are sneezing, coughing and carrying on with your illness, most people (including you, if the roles were reversed) would prefer you stay home until you’re healthy. I know I feel that way. As always, health (yours, mine, ours) first, performance second. Get well soon!