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o (so I will be extra cautious around those things and disinfect what I know he’ll use, or I just don’t touch it at all). Public gyms are a whole other story.</p><p id="0331">Just air on the side of caution and keep your communicable whatever you have to yourself and stay home. “But I can wear a mask.” Omg no. Save yourself and please, for the love of whatever you believe in, pretty please don’t wear a mask to the gym. Just. Don’t.</p><p id="ee5a">If you’re through the thick of sick, the generally accepted rule is (aside from <b>letting your symptoms guide you</b>):</p><blockquote id="9e1a"><p><i>If your symptoms are above the neck (sore throat, coughing, sneezing or runny nose) it’s typically OK to still work out. If your symptoms are below the neck (chest congestion or hacking cough, muscle aches, fatigue or upset stomach) resting is the wiser choice.</i></p></blockquote><p id="a567">These guidelines are for those people who are afraid of losing gains for skipping a few days (I see you, trust me, my mental battle with that is real sometimes), or need to stay in the habit of working out for mental health and habitual reasons.</p><h2 id="f34c">Sweating it out</h2><p id="70e1">To you folks who think that you can accelerate your healing by breaking a sweat, I have some bad news for you. There’s no real scientific evidence that shows doing fitness and sweating will shorten the length or severity of your affliction. Working out while healthy is what bolsters your immune system; not the other way around. There is something to be said about breathing in warm, moist air that might help alleviate congestion; and increased blood flow may help dampen swollen sinuses. Anything other than perhaps a light walk (if you feel that fresh air may help l

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ift your spirits) may only exacerbate what your body is working to try and fight.</p><h2 id="f617">“I’m just lifting”</h2><p id="9d2d">Ok, I hear you, lifting heavy doesn’t necessarily make you breathe heavily, but it’s along the same lines as the above point. Pushing a heavy load will really tax your nervous system. You’re already in a state of dysregulation and trying to stave off illness. Why would you fry your parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves even further? If you insist on lifting, try to stay under 3 sets, with a maximum of 8 reps, and a load that’s no more than 40% of your 1RM (if you know those numbers).</p><h2 id="5ff6">So what should I do?</h2><p id="e8dd"><i>That fun little disclaimer that I’m not your doctor. You’re a grownup, do what you want, I’m only a mere suggestion-maker. </i>If you must, you insist, there’s no way you’re skipping the fitness, here are some things you can do to scratch that itch and not make things worse:</p><ul><li>Reduce. The. Intensity. I promise you won’t regret it</li><li>Walk! 30 minutes and your favourite podcast or playlist will get the dopamine flowing.</li><li>Yoga! YouTube has some lovely flows, yin yoga sessions, and anything in between. If you want an extra juicy session, wait until sunset and practice by a window. Light some candles and put on a playlist in the background. I did this all through lockdowns; it was soul-nourishing.</li><li>Mobility! Here’s a fun bunch of exercises you might want to try. <a href="https://barbend.com/best-mobility-exercises/">Barbend</a> is rad, enjoy!</li></ul><p id="2801">I hope you stay well, and healthy, and never have to face the ick of being sick. I understand that’s not realistic, so I hope you found value in the suggestions.</p></article></body>

Working Out While Sick

Yay, or Nay?

It’s cold season, flu season, sick season… whatever you want to call it, so many people get hit with something around the fall. Because I’m around a bunch of smearing, sniffling, germ-sharing children all the time, my immune system isn’t used to this new petri dish school, and I fell ill recently. It was brutal: stomach ache, laryngitis, nausea, exhaustion. It took a solid week to feel human again. It goes without mentioning that I skipped a few gym sessions.

This begs the question:

When to skip and when to push when working out?

I am learning to listen to my body and not force what isn’t there. If I have put in 15–20 minutes of well-intended effort and I still can’t manage to get anything accomplished, I will stop.

Likewise, if I am just so exhausted in my core that I know there is no point, I tend to go for a walk or rest. But what about the other times? Where you have something tangibly wrong with you and you want to work out? If you have a cold, do you push through? What about a cough?

First of all, I don’t condone working out when you’re sick, especially if you’re in a communal gym setting. My circumstances are a little bit different at the garage because I’m generally alone. If I have something “iffy” I don’t really have to do anything to my equipment because I know that I am the only one using it most of the time. The only other person is Dad, and I know what he sticks to (so I will be extra cautious around those things and disinfect what I know he’ll use, or I just don’t touch it at all). Public gyms are a whole other story.

Just air on the side of caution and keep your communicable whatever you have to yourself and stay home. “But I can wear a mask.” Omg no. Save yourself and please, for the love of whatever you believe in, pretty please don’t wear a mask to the gym. Just. Don’t.

If you’re through the thick of sick, the generally accepted rule is (aside from letting your symptoms guide you):

If your symptoms are above the neck (sore throat, coughing, sneezing or runny nose) it’s typically OK to still work out. If your symptoms are below the neck (chest congestion or hacking cough, muscle aches, fatigue or upset stomach) resting is the wiser choice.

These guidelines are for those people who are afraid of losing gains for skipping a few days (I see you, trust me, my mental battle with that is real sometimes), or need to stay in the habit of working out for mental health and habitual reasons.

Sweating it out

To you folks who think that you can accelerate your healing by breaking a sweat, I have some bad news for you. There’s no real scientific evidence that shows doing fitness and sweating will shorten the length or severity of your affliction. Working out while healthy is what bolsters your immune system; not the other way around. There is something to be said about breathing in warm, moist air that might help alleviate congestion; and increased blood flow may help dampen swollen sinuses. Anything other than perhaps a light walk (if you feel that fresh air may help lift your spirits) may only exacerbate what your body is working to try and fight.

“I’m just lifting”

Ok, I hear you, lifting heavy doesn’t necessarily make you breathe heavily, but it’s along the same lines as the above point. Pushing a heavy load will really tax your nervous system. You’re already in a state of dysregulation and trying to stave off illness. Why would you fry your parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves even further? If you insist on lifting, try to stay under 3 sets, with a maximum of 8 reps, and a load that’s no more than 40% of your 1RM (if you know those numbers).

So what should I do?

That fun little disclaimer that I’m not your doctor. You’re a grownup, do what you want, I’m only a mere suggestion-maker. If you must, you insist, there’s no way you’re skipping the fitness, here are some things you can do to scratch that itch and not make things worse:

Reduce. The. Intensity. I promise you won’t regret it
Walk! 30 minutes and your favourite podcast or playlist will get the dopamine flowing.
Yoga! YouTube has some lovely flows, yin yoga sessions, and anything in between. If you want an extra juicy session, wait until sunset and practice by a window. Light some candles and put on a playlist in the background. I did this all through lockdowns; it was soul-nourishing.
Mobility! Here’s a fun bunch of exercises you might want to try. Barbend is rad, enjoy!

I hope you stay well, and healthy, and never have to face the ick of being sick. I understand that’s not realistic, so I hope you found value in the suggestions.