Should I exercise when I feel ill or under the weather?

Mark Raynsford says ...

I placed a post about this on my blog a few weeks back (www.markraynsfordpersonaltraining.blogspot.com). Generally when ill it is best not to exercise. Your body is fighting an infection and the last thing it needs is the stress of a workout placed upon the heart, lungs and muscles to deal with! Some say if its above the neck, and a head cold, a gentle workout is fine. Below the neck then no.

Personally, I feel that when you work out, you should be working out to a high level of intensity, and so you can only do that when you are fit and healthy. Working out when ill can only put you backwards in terms of recovery.Take Echinacea, Vitamin C, lots of water, and stay away from processed foods. This will get you back to action quicker.

Mark Raynsford, Personal Trainer, Marks PT

FitnessVenues.com's Sarah Johnson says ...

It is tempting to exercise when ill. We have all been there. You've been training hard and you're seeing great gains yet you are struck down by a cold that you can't shift or a bout of the flu that simply would go away and all you can think is "Blast (or maybe a stronger word) ... If I don't exercise then these gains will simply vanish."

However, there is a tale to be told here. Not only do I think exercising when ill is counterproductive in terms of getting better quicker, having an illness that stays with you for a prolonged period of time may indeed highlight that all the hard work you are putting into your exercise training and workouts has left you overtrained - and badly in need of rest.

If you think you maybe overtraining then use the guide below to help you decide.

• Feel ill
• Constantly feel tired
• Feel constantly dehydrated
• Finding that your training has plateued for at least a month
• You feel demotivated at work or at home
• You don't feel like training

If you find more than 2 things on this list apply to you today, take a week or 2 off training and simply take a 30 minute walk each day for at least 7 days.

FitnessVenues.com

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