Would it be foolish of me to go for a run and do weights while I have a cold/flu?

Thanks.

Well, my BF always tells me that when I'm sick, I need to rest; he believes that my body will "burn out" if I push myself too hard when it's trying to fight off something. *shrug* That's my 2 cents! ;)

YES! dont do it! last year i had the flu and i was totally out of it for 2 weeks. During that time i tryed to go the gym, and i felt so miserable. I couldn't lift as much, my face got all red and i was sweating more than usual and i only lasted 30 minutes before i had to leave. so ya, wait till ur better!

I don't see it as a problem to exercise when you're sick assuming you aren't too sick. If you feel good enough to exercise then why not? I've gotten some really excellent exercises sessions in when I've had the flu. Granted I wasn't running a high fever and so stuffed up I couldn't breath but if you're just a little achy and tired but still want to exercise I see no problem with it. That is unless, of course, someone posts a message showing me data of where hundreds of otherwise healthy individuals dropped dead after a 20 minute cardio session while suffering from the flu. As far as I'm concerned exercise is what the body is built for (not being a couch potatoe) and to get everything in the body functioning at optimum levels you need exercise (among other things) so if you feel like exercising when sick then go for it.

Well, I think that if you've only got a sniffly nose, then yeah, go do your workout. However, if you're congested or your respiratory system has been compromised (e.g. cough, congestion, bronchitis, etc) then it will affect the amount and quality of air that gets into your system; at this point, you won't be getting enough oxygen to your muscles/brain! I think sometimes that's why people get light-headed, too.

Also, if you're pushing yourself to the max and doing your full weight sets and cardio, you may find that your body is expending so much energy that it will take you longer to recover from your sickness. That has been my experience, anyway.

I think you have to know your body. I know that when im "sick" that I get better a lot faster when I exercise. Personally I think all that laying around and resting for me just makes me feel worse. Get some rest early and then try and exercise the next day or so and see how it goes...

My rule is if I have a fever I will not exercise. No fever I will, but I will listen to my body. If I feel sluggish during my workout I will slow down.

Yeah, I'm kinda on the same page as rick (though I haven't been sick for about 5 years) if it's a flu then I won't workout, if it's a cold then yes. working out (lightly) while sick can actually help you recover a bit quicker by releasing toxins into your system.

talk to ya later

The general rule is that if your symptoms are limited to the neck and above, its fine to exercise. Any symptoms below the neck and you need to rest or you can make it worse.

If you simply have a cold, I would take it easy. If you have something worse like the flu, I would sugeest rest is the best thing to do. Also, be courteous to others by not exposing them to something as contagious as the flu. I am really anal by not touching my face while I am working out since there is no telling how many germ s are on the weights. But I believe your body will tell you how much you will be able to do while you are sick. The key is give the body rest so it can heal and lifting weights may slow the healing process.

I've read several reports that indicate that, even for healthy individuals, an intense workout can temporarily decrease your blood supply's store of antioxidants by as much as 50%. With this in mind, I wouldn't recommend any intense physical activity when attempting to recover from infectious diseases such as cold or flu. It's hard enough for your body to fight the infection as it is-- working out can make it even harder. If working out delays your recovery, then it was a bad decision on your part. I don't know about you, but I'd rather rest now and work out at 100% in a couple of days, than work out and feel miserable for the next two weeks.

My personal rule of thumb is that I've got to "feel" 90%, or I won't go. Good nutrition, medication, and supplements can give me a small boost, but can't make up for a seriously debilitating illness. My intensity would suffer, and I would consider the workout a wasted effort.

Bottom line, if you can't achieve any meaningful level of intensity in your workout, you're not really helping yourself, so what's the point?