{"id":150183,"date":"2020-02-19T02:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T10:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=150183"},"modified":"2020-08-05T22:43:37","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T05:43:37","slug":"should-you-workout-if-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/should-you-workout-if-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It OK to Work Out If You\u2019re Sick?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should you work out while you\u2019re sick?<\/span>\u00a0This is an age-old question that health fanatics, athletes and gym buffs alike ponder. The answer is not so black-and-white as it depends on your symptoms. Like everything in life, exercise is best done in moderation coupled with the wisdom of listening to your body.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re experiencing signs of a <\/span>common cold<\/span><\/a> (like a scratchy throat, sneezing or a cough), then it’s quite possible to get a workout in. A moderate, low-impact workout of 30 minutes or less can actually help to fight infection as it <\/span>boosts the immune system<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s best, however, to avoid intense or lengthy workouts while you’re under the weather as s<\/span>tudies show that intense workouts (even for short periods of time) can weaken the immune system. In periods of increased physical exertion, the body releases stress-fighting steroids that decrease your cells\u2019 ability to fight infection.<\/p>\n

Another rule-of-thumb that doctors refer to is the \u201c<\/span>above the neck<\/span><\/a>\u201d rule. This means that if your symptoms are above the neck, like a runny nose or cough, then you’re OK to engage in physical activity. However, if your symptoms are below the neck, like diarrhea, body aches, a deep, chest cough or fever, it’s best to skip your workout. These are signs that the infection is widespread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep this in mind: A common cold is an infection of the nose and throat. A light workout such as walking, jogging or yoga — coupled with lots of water — are great exercise options when you have a cold.\u00a0<\/span>If it\u2019s anything more than a sniffle, a sneeze or sore throat, then it\u2019s best to skip the gym. Allow your body to direct all its energy toward getting better and fighting off infection.<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, consult your doctor or physician if you’re unsure about working out while ill.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"Should you work out while you\u2019re sick?\u00a0This is an age-old question that health fanatics, athletes ...","author":7532780,"featured_media":150232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,3],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/19105403\/workout.png","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/19105403\/workout-386x200.png","formated_date":"February 19, 2020","category_name":"Health","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Stephanie Taylor","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#8fd35f","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532780"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}