Side Effects Of Exercising When You Are Ill

By Padmapreetham Mahalingam

Friday, June 12, 2015, 12:13 [IST]

You are probably quite aware that exercising regularly is good for you. Sticking to an exercise routine can be tough but motivation can help you do so. If you do hit the gym regularly, then you must know how great you feel after a workout for an hour ever day.

And once you know the feeling you rarely will want to miss it. Now, what would you do if you feel sick and down with flu all of a sudden? You probably have that little voice inside you that tells you not to stop exercising and to get out there, so what should you do?

Do you think it would be hard to skip the treadmill for a day or two? The appropriate response depends on how you feel and what ails you.

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The answer to the question is it bad to workout when sick is a resounding yes. Working out when having fever or flu can make you even sicker, so it is better to avoid hitting the gym.

It is not always rainbows and butterflies after a rigorous workout at the gym. If you exercise, you are invariably increasing your body temperature and doing so if you have a fever will in turn can make you feel worse under the weather.

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It's bad to exercise when you are sick. Sometimes dealing with sweat and aches can be tough more so when you are sick. You can exercise even if you are unwell if your symptoms are a sore throat or runny nose or tearing eye.

However, it is better to listen to your body and bring down the intensity of your workout down a little bit. Read on to find out the answer to what happens if you workout when you are sick.

Motion Sickness

It is usually advised that people having symptoms such as fever, cough, chest congestion, fatigue and muscle aches need to avoid exercising while they are sick.

There are few people who tend to feel worse if they have to stop their work out even for a day. But some times you need to let go, especially if you have a bad flu and are unable to lift your head off from the pillow. These are the time when you need listen to your body. On the other hand, if it is just a little snivel and you feel much better after taking medications, it's ok to do a workout. If you are feeling bad, make sure to take the intensity down. You can choose regenerative activities such as pilates or yoga.

If you are sick, doing a vibration based exercises can give you a queasy feeling. Some people do experience motion sickness while they attempt vibration based exercises when sick.

Dehydration

Fever is an indication that your body is fighting an infection. To help your immune system fight your flu, try resting and giving yourself time to recover. On the other hand if your fever is higher that means you are prone to dehydration andexercise will make it worse especially if aren't taking any fluids.

Dizziness

If you have any symptoms such as body aches, chills, stomach problems and diarrhea, then it is better to take it easy until you are feeling better. If you don't feel up to it and feel like getting some rest then it is better to hang up the running shoes until your symptoms subside. When you have diarrhea you could be dehydrated. One of the side effects of exercising when you are sick is that it can accelerate dehydration. Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids to replenish your system. The stomach bug doesn't last for more than a day so it is better to skip exercising when you are sick.

Nausea

Nausea can occur when your body is seeking energy and it isn't readily available.And this can be dangerous while working out as you could drop weights, fallor injure someone.

Deprived sleep

It's bad to exercise especially when you can't sleep or can't get enough sleep. Either case is a sign of overtraining. Some people have the notion that overtraining improves their ability to sleep but it will only do the reverse. If your sleep patterns get disturbed consistently it's better to take few days off from your workout. Moreover resting allows your muscle to grow.

Headache

If you have a headache or a head pain during a workout, understand that it is a sign that you have not had enough fluid intake. It is mostly relived once you have long drink of water. On the other hand if your headache isn't better even after a couple of hours after your workout then it means you fighting off an illness such as flu. The symptoms will come to the forefront after you have exerted yourself.

Hormonal imbalance

High intensity exercise has to be avoided when you are sick as this kind of exercise can boost production of Cortisol (stress hormone). When workouts become extreme there will be a decline in the amount of white blood cells in the body and the increased amount of cortisol may hinder the ability of certain immune cells to work efficiently.

Shakiness

After doing your squat routine, the leg muscles shake, know that this is due to fatigue. You have pushed yourself to a point with your workout where you have maxed out. The muscle shakiness is due to low blood sugar levels. The low blood glucose called hypoglycemia can cause symptoms such as fatigue, loss of consciousness or tremors.