I’ve always thought that exercising when sick was a bad idea. The sickness decreased my performance and, at the same time, I thought the exercise was weakening my immune system, making me stay sick longer. Well, it appears as though I might be wrong.
In this article from the New York Times, researchers from the Mayo Clinic discuss their findings about exercising while having a cold. Turns out that the cold does not reduce performance, nor does the exercise prolong the cold.
There are several experiments described in the article but here are some of the interesting results:
The researchers reported that having a cold had no effect on either lung function or exercise capacity.
That’s right, having a cold does not have a real effect on your exercise ability. You may feel sick but your body is still capable of doing what it usually does. And:
The investigators found no difference in symptoms between the group that exercised and the one that rested. And there was no difference in the time it took to recover from the colds. But when the exercisers assessed their symptoms, Dr. Kaminsky said, “people said they felt O.K. and, in some cases, they actually felt better.”
Yep, exercise does not cause you to remain sick longer.
Now keep in mind that all of this was tested with the common cold. Please don’t assume that this means exercise is a good thing regardless of how sick you are. I don’t want to see people at gym killing themselves on the treadmill while sick with the flu. However, I do think this is pretty neat information and I’m going to keep it in mind for the next time I have a cold.
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By the way, you may need to register in order to read that article at the New York Times. Registration is free but a bit annoying.
My own experience is that this is relative to the intensity of the exercise. Modest exercise has proven to help my get past my illness more quickly, and provided increased energy during the recovery from my illness. However, when preparing for races while sick — even just head colds, my long runs have landed me in, or back in, bed to start the process all over again. Recovering from intensity seems to divide the recuperative powers, where modest exercise seems to enhance them — but that’s just me.
In my experience, I always try and workout, even when I’m feeling a little off. A lot of the time, I find myself feeling better. If however, I start to feel worse while I’m exercising, I just back off, or stop altogether. I guess the key thing is to listen to your body. It knows what it needs!
- Dave
Regardless of what the researchers say, it only makes sense that exercises while you are sick will prolong the symptoms of your illness. Think about it… Your body needs energy for your immune system to work. Exercise robs your body of the energy it needs to fight illness.