Exercising While Sick May Be All Right

by Stephanie Oakes

Question: I have a question about working out with a cold. I've heard different things, like cardio is OK but weights aren't (something about weights being harder on your body). I realize that if I am deathly ill, I should be in bed, but when it's just a bad cold, I feel that I should be pushing myself to do some exercise. As we head into winter, I reckon this question will come up for others as well.

- Mary Claire, Montgomery, Ala.

Stephanie's Answer: The common cold is usually characterized by a sore throat, stuffy head, runny nose, sneezing, cough and headache. Before you proceed with any workouts, do a "neck check." If your symptoms are "above the neck," then you can probably exercise--cardio and weight training--but at a reduced intensity. On the other hand, if your "neck check" reveals symptoms "below the neck" such as muscle aches, chills, diarrhea, vomiting or a fever, skip your workouts until your symptoms subside. I'd also suggest that if you have these "below the neck" symptoms, you visit your physician.

Keep in mind, there is no medical evidence that exercising during a cold will speed recovery. However, it might make you feel more energized than sitting on the sofa night and day. My experience has been that exercise temporarily clears my stuffy head when I have a cold (or any sinus congestion).

Use common sense when deciding to exercise with a cold. Some people don't know the meaning of "going easy" with their workouts; these people should probably wait until they've completely recovered and can go back to giving their workouts 100%.