I'm sick. Should I still exercise?

I get that question a lot and have wondered that same thing myself on several occasions.

I read an article in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine a couple of years ago that broke down the answer to that question in a way that made the decision very easy. It basically said that if you have a head cold (congestion, sneezing, runny nose, headache) it's ok to go ahead and exercise. Exercise may even help, at least temporarily, to clear out some of the congestion. However, as flu season approaches and if you start feeling sick with a fever, a chest cold, deep cough, and/or body aches, you should give your body the rest that it needs and take some time off from exercise. Exercising with those symptoms is likely to make them worse rather than better.

The answer really boils down to, "listen to your body". Do you need rest in order to recover? Will exercising with your current symptoms make you feel worse or better? How long has it been since you have given your body a few days of rest and recovery from exercise?

My example from this past week: I worked out (lifted weights) on Monday and Tuesday and by Tuesday afternoon had stiffness in my neck, a headache and a fever. I woke up Wednesday morning hardly able to move my neck at all. Obviously, I wasn't going to be doing any workouts on Wednesday. Thursday I was taking pain medicine and still had a headache and a slight fever. I felt bad taking two days off from exercise, however, it felt necessary to continue to rest. Friday I felt much better, but I still didn't want to stress my neck in case I was suffering from an injury, so I decided to just go for a nice walk pushing my girls in their stroller. Saturday I was scheduled to teach a cycle class and so I did. During and after the class I felt a bit of stiffness in my neck, so I decided to take Sunday off as well to give my body the extra time it needed to heal. Sunday I felt good and yesterday I woke up feeling fine, so I decided to try a light chest and shoulder workout. That went well without much of an issue. So, I think that as long as I continue to listen to my body, I can resume my normal routine. Slowing down and taking that many days off from exercise was hard, but if I hadn't, I think I would still be in pain and perhaps even sicker than I ended up being. I'm still not sure what the cause of my symptoms was (a virus or an injury), but regardless, I'm glad that I didn't push it.

So, what is your body telling you today? Are your muscles tight and sore? Have you exercised for 10 days straight? Do you have a nagging pain in your knee? Do you have a cough that you haven't been able to kick over the past two weeks? Maybe you should start listening to your body....it's telling you to stop and rest. Taking a day or two (or even five if that's how much is needed) isn't going to set you back as much as you think it might.

On the other hand, do you have a slight headache and runny nose? Well, it's probably OK to still get that run in and then reasses how you're feeling tomorrow.