Are you well enough to work out?

Reminder: Rob and Donald begin their 300km Challenge for Big Brothers Big Sisters Victoria today @ 6am.  If you want to join in meet us at the starting point at the Legislative buildings.  Krista, Lani and Deanna will be there with their running shoes on!

Colds and other viruses can wreak havoc with carefully planned fitness regimes.  It’s good to know when it’s safe to resume exercise as normal.

If your fitness regime has been thrown off course by a bout of flu, a cold or some other dreaded virus, you are certainly not alone.  But how, in that sluggish post-viral period, do you gauge whether it is safe to start exercising again?

The nature – and location – of your symptoms is an important determinant of whether you should put on your slippers or your running shoes.

The rule of thumb for exercising while sick is called the above/below the neck rule.  If your symptoms appear ‘above the neck’ (such as a runny or stuffy nose, watery eyes or a mild sore throat), then yes, you can continue with a low-intensity workout.  Bringing up your body temperature is a way of fighting a virus, but keep the activity light to moderate – and brief.  Hard exercise compromises the immune system, allowing a virus to strengthen its hold.  The body is already under stress in fighting the infection, so piling on additional stress through vigorous exercise is counterproductive.  Studies have found that a long, hard work-out can lower immunity for up to nine hours.

If your symptoms are ‘below the neck’ ones (such as a cough, a congested or tight chest, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches or fever) then the medical community suggests you let your illness run its course before resuming any physical activity.  With these ‘below the neck’ symptoms, give your work-out a miss regardless of how you feel, or how much you think you need to do it.  Exercising with major cold symptoms, particularly a fever, will prolong your illness and can be dangerous.  A fever is an indication that your body is fighting a virus.  If you are feverish or feeling really rough, then don’t force yourself to exercise as you may faint, or, in very rare cases, cause some damage to your heart.  You could potentially cause a condition called myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, which can result from over-exerting yourself when you have a virus.  It can cause shortness of breath, heart arrhythmias and, in extreme cases, sudden cardiac death.

There’s a tendency to think that if you miss a couple of days of training, it’s a disaster.  But the quality of your training is at least as important as the quantity.  Training when you’re not 100% well isn’t going to give you that quality!   When you’re feeling well again, it is important to return to exercise with caution.  Monitor how you feel, make sure you stay well hydrated (particularly if you have had a stomach bug), avoid getting wet and cold and look out for telltale signs that you are overdoing it, such as a work-out feeling harder than it should, shortness of breath, weakness or dizziness.  Above all else, don’t try to make up for lost time. Push too hard, too soon, and you might end up back where you started.

Rest up, take care, and then get back in there!

Today’s Workout:

Buy In – get warm, prep, cheer on. Then Turkish getups x 3/side x4 sets while waiting for your turn.

WOD – “Christine” (12 minute cap)

Check out the video

Elite: 3 rounds for time of:
• 500m row
• 12 Bodyweight deadlifts
• 21 box jumps (20″)

Zone 3: scale to 75% bodyweight deadlifts

Zone 2: scale to 300m row, 50% bodyweight deadlifts

Zone 1: scale to 200m row, deadlifts as needed, step-ups

Cash Out – Stretch!