Sick With A Cold - Exercise Do's and Don'ts

Lately I've been a little absent from social media as a battle with a spring cold which inspired this blog! Exercise has been the last thing on my mind this week but light exercise can actually make you feel better while you have a cold….now there are some exceptions to that! Typically I will only workout when I have a slight head cold, anything that is more severe than that I skip my workouts all together.

Here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts for exercise when you have a cold

Do

Walk – Don’t stay cooped up in bed all day, it’s surprising how great this can make you feel. I’ve been out for serval walks this last week and it’s defiantly made a difference

Jogging – I skipped this one for this cold but you can go out for a light jog, nothing too intense or long

Yoga – Personally I love doing hot yoga when I’m sick but since I couldn’t make it to any of the classes. I just used “21 Day Fix” yoga DVD and did some yoga in my living room

Don’t

Endurance running – You don’t want to push yourself too hard, don’t do any running such as intervals or races during your cold

Machines at the gym – While you have a cold be courteous to other people, think about it. Do you want someone beside you who’s sick? Gym machines can spread germs when people don’t clean them off properly, stay at home to avoid getting other people sick

Lifting weights – During your cold your body is going to be weak, lifting weights during a cold can increase your risk of injury. You’re putting an extra strain on your muscles which can further worsen your cold….plus your spreading your germs to other people using weights