Participating in our favorite exercise activities helps us stay in shape and have fun while we’re at it. Getting a workout with one of our companions at the local gym, attending a group fitness class or performing a home exercise routine will improve our balance, coordination, strength and our overall mindset for the future. While there are various benefits of regular exercise, there is an area that is overlooked when adhering to a regular exercise program. What happens when we get sick?
Exercise induces stress on the body by way of cellular damage caused by the work we have our muscle cell and connective tissue perform throughout exercise. Regular exercise helps improve the immune system over time, boost the metabolism by burning fat, and improves emotional and psychological wellbeing by enhancing our mood with increased dopamine coursing through our blood. However, when the body is going through repair mode following exercise as the body is simultaneously fighting chest cold symptoms, the body works in over drive and can enter a dangerous state of distress.
As part of our life time fitness coaching efforts we offer our personal training clients in Napa, we emphasize the “less is more” principle when the body is in a state of distress. We don’t want to be in a state of distress any longer than is necessary. Therefore, mindful recovery and rest of the body is important when fending off illness.
When we get sick from something like a chest cold or stomach infection, a virus or bacteria enters the cells in vital organs such as the sinus, lungs, or stomach. The cells affected by the harmful virus are damaged and go under a state of distress. The body fights this virus by utilizing our immune system. Similar to how the body reacts to muscle soreness following exercise and sends a signal to repair muscular damage. The difference is that we experience the side effects of the body fighting this illness by way of mucus being distributed in our nose, throat and chest coupled with fevers and body aches. Muscle soreness following exercise and the effects of illness are both forms of distress in the body. During these times of distress, the body is asking for rest and recovery. If we stack up the form of distress from exercise with the distress of illness, we can quickly over do it. Exercising while sick can contribute to becoming even sicker than when the illness first came around.
A solution that we offer to our personal training clients in Napa is to listen to the body. If a client tells us that they feel a cold coming on for some reason, we always err on the side of caution and inform them that the best policy is to take a day off and rest. The last thing we want to do is to accelerate the hindered state of body as it fends off illness. Exercise can get us out of a funk of feeling rundown by boosting our mood and giving us more energy when minor irritations such as allergies or a runny nosed caused by cold weather have affected the body. While there are times that exercise can help clear up the sinuses by increasing the respirations and blood flow of the exercise participant to expel excess congestion, there are some tell tale signs that you might want to take a day from training. A strong indicator of a severe illness are body aches, fever, or a productive cough in which mucus is being expelled from the chest. One the best ways for germs to be spread is by coughing. When in doubt, any conditions that affect respiratory functions below the throat are usually clear signs that the body is in an advanced form of distress. In this scenario, rest and relaxation is the best tool to get the body back to peak condition.
We want to promote a healthy lifestyle of fitness, strength and happiness. However, by visiting the gym or your favorite group fitness activity when you’re sick, you might be spreading a bug to other gym goers around you. For the sake of your fellow life time fitness enthusiasts, listen to your body and use your intuition. There is a fine line between being too sick to exercise and toughing it out to ensure you are reaching your fitness goals. However, life time fitness is a long game we play. We want to be able to put in as much productive work as possible toward refining our fitness goals. Sometimes taking a day off to let the body recover from sickness is the best approach we can to do get back into the gym tomorrow and chalk up another victory for our life time fitness at full power.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
