You have set a goal of going to the gym 5 days a week. But on the fifth day, he wakes up in the weather. Should I exercise anyway, or should I stay in bed and recover?
According to Dr. Michael Jonesco, a sports and internal medicine expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, it depends on the illness.
“I rely on the golden rule of’neck check’,” Jonesco told Live Science. “in short, [illness] The neck and top are general guidelines that are usually considered safe to push through. “
For example, sore throat, runny nose, headache, or ear Infections — but no fever — most of the time you’re probably okay with your training.
Related: Why do you sometimes gain weight after exercising?
However, if you have an illness with symptoms under your neck, you probably want to stay home.
These include “bad gastrointestinal symptoms, severe muscle aches, etc.” [muscle pain] Or even fever, which is a sign of systemic illness, is painful in the body. I know that the whole body is undergoing this inflammatory reaction in an attempt to cure insects throughout the body, “Jonesko said.probably [take] 48 hours of rest and reassessment. “
The reason this rule of thumb works is that it has nothing to do with most problems on the neck. heart When lung.. “That’s what we’re trying to protect,” Jonesco said.
Even digestive problems can strain these organs, as they can lead to dehydration, which stresses the heart. (Face it: If you vomit every 5 minutes and run into the bathroom, training is probably not your top priority.)
Of course, neck checking is a guideline rather than a strict rule. For example, if you have difficulty breathing due to a stuffy nose, it can still be a reason to skip training.
So what’s the harm of exercising when you’re sick? In addition to the fact that you may feel miserable, it can make you sick. Studies show For example, if you run a marathon, Immune system The risk of infection increases for up to 3 days thereafter.
Regular training is probably not a full marathon, but exercising when you are sick can put similar stress on your system. “Your body is busy putting energy into the system needed for exercise, so you have to deprive other systems of that energy,” Jonesko said.
Even if you don’t get sick, you may not get the exercise effect you are looking for in the first place.The calories you burn May come from the collapse of your muscles, To give an example. In addition, the main reward for exercise comes from recovery, and it is difficult to recover from training when sick.
“You really aren’t seeing any profit because all you’re really trying to do is survive that individual session,” Jonesko said. “You are not training your body to the point where you can recover properly.
“When in doubt, probably stop it,” he added. “If you’re not really sure if you should exercise, you’re telling you that your body is probably not ready.”
But if you’ve been listening to your body for a few days and you’ve noticed that you’re feeling better, it’s not yet time to go all out to your gym session. Jonesco recommended taking it every day.
“Don’t expect to return to the previous level,” Jonesko said. “Hydration, refueling the body, glycogen storage, and energy storage will take time.” (Glycogen is a carbohydrate substance that muscles use to store energy.)
“So, on your first day, it’s usually a good idea to start with about half the intensity of your typical workout. Know that it takes a day or two to get back into the flow of things. “I’m doing it,” said Jonesco. “And the next day, we can increase it to about 75% and stay within tolerance.”
Originally published on Live Science.
