Should You Workout When Sick?

I’m sure we’ve all experienced having a runny nose, a headache, and overall feeling achy and fatigued. I think we can agree that feeling under the weather isn’t the most pleasant experience, and it’s tempting to lay on the couch or in bed until healed. So here’s the question: Should you stay in bed, or should you push yourself to sweat it out?

The truth is that working out isn’t always great when you’re sick. Have you heard of the saying “just sweat it out”? Well, let’s get into the nitty-gritty about why our bodies sweat.

Why do our bodies sweat?

Our bodies generate sweat to reduce our internal temperature, which is why we sweat when we exercise. We also sweat when we have fevers since our internal temperature has risen. A fever may develop to ward off the virus your body is trying to overcome, but the sweat itself isn’t detoxing that virus. Sweat is mostly water, and it has small amounts of trace minerals, lactic acid, protein by-products, and potentially a small amount of chemicals and toxins. But your body does not sweat in order to detox, it sweats to cool down. Your liver and kidneys do most of the detoxing for the body. I’m sure if sweating was the cure-all for being sick, then we’d all be in the sauna to heal asap!

With that said, being active in general still wards off sickness because your body becomes more efficient at just about everything – your metabolism, your lymphatic system, your muscles, your organs – everything works more in sync when you move around rather than sit around. But does this mean that it’s wonderful even when you’re sick?

Not necessarily! Rest has its place. Resting while you are sick, especially when it’s a severe illness, is essential because it allows your body to use all of its energy to heal. Also, keep in mind that exercise can exasperate dehydration, which would make it harder to get over an illness, especially if you aren’t able to consume much water (such as if you are nauseous) or are losing a lot of water (vomiting, diarrhea). So if you are unwell enough that you can’t stay hydrated, then lay off the exercise and allow your body to rest and recover from the illness. If you feel restless, just do some light stretching, but do your best to allow yourself to be where you are and rest until you feel better. There’s no need to feel guilty for resting when you are sick.

Pushing yourself can prolong illness

The last thing we should do is drag out an illness. If you are experiencing muscle and joint pain, fever, headaches, nausea, or diarrhea, then resting is an absolute must! Forcing yourself to exercise will likely worsen your symptoms, weaken your immune system even more, and potentially prolong the illness.

So next time you’re unwell, try these remedies instead:

• Allow yourself to fully rest – sleep as much as you desire and don’t push yourself
• Eat nourishing food – a bonus would be to implement hydrating food such as fruit as well as immune-boosting food such as garlic cloves
• Enjoy what you can to keep your spirits up – whether that’s reading, listening to a podcast, watching a feel-good movie, etc. Having a positive perspective and mindset is more helpful than you think!
• Supplement with zinc, vitamin C, and elderberry

When it is okay to workout when sick

If your sickness is mild, and you have the energy or desire to move, then feel free to embrace that. Just keep the movement light and easy. Also, a warm shower after moving your body may even help to clear cold related congestion. We know this goes without saying, but if you are planning on partaking in a workout when you are feeling unwell, avoid exercising at the gym where you can spread your sickness to others.