I was just wondering if it is safe to exercise when you're sick? It's just that I've had a bad case of the flu for about a week now - so I've had no energy, and I'm too scared to work out after this thing I saw on the news that said if you exercise while you're sick you put yourself at risk of things such as a heart attack(!!)

Well, it really all depends on how sick you are. Regardless, exercising while ill will not speed recovery time; it may or may not hinder recovery (that depends on the type and intensity of exercise as well as on your overall health status).

The rule of thumb for things like cold and the flu is:if the illness is "localized" from the neck up (stuffy nose, scratchy throat, head ache, etc) then it's usually okay to continue with light to moderate exercise. Otherwise, just rest. Basically, it's important to listen to your body. Sometimes you feel a bit off... but still have energy; other times you feel like garbage and just want to lie down. In both cases your body's sending a message... it's usually a bad idea to ignore it.

As for the heart attack thing... this is a, to say the least, example of media sensationalism. Yes, stressing yourself (exercise is a form of stress) while ill does increase the statistical risk of something like a heart attack... but the statistical increase is pretty negligible and is virtually zero for someone who is otherwise in good health. So, don't worry about it.

Andrew