Should You Exercise With A Cold?

MANY of us will have pondered whether we should work out while ill.

Is feeling poorly a valid reason to miss a good gym session – or do we just sound like we’re making excuses?

One mantra regarding exercise while sick is that doing so is usually okay if all of your symptoms are ‘above the neck’.

Sun Doctor Carol Cooper says: “I think that the above is quite a good suggestion.

"It’s also a good idea to judge on how you feel in yourself.

"If you feel really unwell then you shouldn’t be exercising.

“But it also depends a lot on the kind of exercise that you’re doing.

"There are some exercises that you can perform perfectly easily - such as strengthening exercises that some people will want to continue with to keep their muscles in good condition.

“But if you’re talking about competitive exercise then exercise is best avoided. You can go to the gym with a cold – but you can’t expect the best from yourself.

"Over-exercising will certainly lower your immunity and you will be spreading your germs around.

"It does depend how you feel on the whole, but if it’s more than a slight sniffle you’re best not doing it as it could end up leaving you feeling a lot worse.”

Above the neck symptoms include those of a common cold, such as a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing or a slightly sore throat.

But it is also said that the gym-goer should consider going easy on themselves – by reducing the intensity or length of their workout.

However, if you’re suffering with a fever, tummy trouble or the flu avoid the gym at all costs.

You will likely already feel fatigued and be highly contagious – so rest is the best medicine.

Dr Carol added: “If you’ve got stomach issues such as gastroenteritis I think that you shouldn’t exercise – except perhaps localised strength exercises - as you will increase the risk of feeling unwell and becoming dehydrated – as well as spreading the infection around.

“If you have been ill for any time, you would have to build back up to your usual amount of exercise and if you’ve had something like diarrhoea then you’re going to need to allow a few days to get back to a normal level of activity before you take on exercise.”