Imagine this scenario where you are following your exercise routine perfectly, your diet is going on to the point, you are working successfully towards your fitness goals and you are progressing very well on your fitness tracker. Everything is hunky-dory and you are happy! Then suddenly out of the blue, you suffer from some illness.
It is a common observation that seasonal changes are accompanied by various illnesses and God forbid you fall prey to one. What can you do in such a situation? Do you succumb to your illness and let go of all that progress that you have made towards your health? Or can you still go forth and do something to maintain that progress? Is it really possible to stay fit when you are suffering from some illness?
The answer is yes! But under “some conditions applied”. The most important thing here is to not get demotivated, understand your body, understand that it is normal to fall sick once in a while and that full recovery is equally essential.
But given certain conditions you can still manage to stay fit even when you are not really in the pink of your health. Let us see how.
What happens to the body when you are ill?
Illness or sickness happens when your body functions abnormally due to some external factors like a pathogen (bacteria, viruses, etc) or some internal dysfunctions. The structure and/or function of your body is negatively impacted. Illness may occur in different forms like injuries, infections, disorders, etc. Your immune system is your body’s first line of defense and it kicks in at the first sign of any illness. It recognizes any toxins or foreign substances, activates your white blood cells to kill or ingest these substances, and also eliminates them from your body thus helping in preventing any damage to your body. As all of your body’s efforts go into helping you recover from this illness, the other bodily functions slow down and you start feeling lethargic and tired.
In illness, when to work out and when to avoid?
You need to understand that the severity of the illness varies with different individuals depending on how strong their immune systems were before they fell sick. Some of you may experience mild symptoms while others may be more affected. This also depends on what type of illness are you suffering from in the first place. Hence you need to evaluate yourself if you can or cannot workout during an illness.
Generally, for this evaluation, the “above-the-neck” rule is followed. This means if you have symptoms above the neck like an earache, stuffy nose or you are sneezing it is probably all right to engage in mild exercises for a shorter duration. But if you are suffering from an illness that shows symptoms below your neck like chest congestion, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting it would be better if you avoid your workout unless you recover completely.
Also, if you have a fever it is recommended that you do not work out as fever increases dehydration, decreases muscle strength and endurance, and also impairs your coordination. This will increase your risk of injury.
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How can you continue with your Workout Routine?
So now that you know there are situations in which you can still continue your workout during illness, let us see what workout routine you can continue with. Here you need to remember that your main aim should be to maintain your fitness and not to gain. You may have to drop down from your fitness goals drastically but that is ok.
While suffering from an illness you can engage in certain workout activities provided your body lets you do the same. You can even consider reducing the workout intensity. Walking is a good exercise when you are ill but you can reduce your pace of walking.
You can even engage in yoga and stretching. Also going for bodyweight exercises instead of strength training is a good option. Take your own time when you are working out and keep a check on your heart rate. Do not engage in any activity which will tire or stress you out.
Nutritional Considerations during illness
Generally, the cells of your immune system require adequate amounts of glucose, proteins, water, and electrolytes to maintain the normal functioning of the body. Therefore, a well-balanced diet is important for your immune function to work effectively. A review of 66 placebo-controlled crossover trials, concluded that a poor nutritional status affects almost all aspects of the immune system. (1)
Additionally, proteins as they are the building blocks of your body also help in the repair. The protein requirements of your body increase considerably with illness severity. It is recommended that patients suffering from mild to moderate illness should intake 0.8 to 1.2 g/kg bodyweight protein per day, while those suffering from a severe illness should consume 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg bodyweight protein per day. (2)
Dehydration is a common complication in many diseases. It is also commonly observed that illness and limitations in activities during illness can further limit fluid intake. Also, sweating may cause dehydration when you are working out amidst illness. Hence, it becomes essential to stay hydrated and intake an adequate amount of water.
When to go back to work out after recovery?
You may want to return to your workout as soon as you are showing the first signs of recovery but, even after you get well, give your body some time and “do not rush it”. Specific recommendations to start working out after recovery varies according to the illness but some general recommendations are as follows.
- Return to work out only after you finish with your course of medication and after you have been cleared of infection completely.
- You should not have any remaining muscle pain, fatigue, lethargy, etc.
- Returning to a workout should be a gradual process. It is recommended that you are under supervision when you restart your workout.
- Increase your training intensity only if you are completely symptom-free. (3)
Important Tips
Avoid the gym
If you are suffering from some illness that is contagious and may spread to those who are in close proximity to you, consider avoiding the gym. By doing this you are not just protecting yourself from further harm but you are also protecting fellow gym-goers from the suffering.
Listen to your body
Let your body and your symptoms be your guide to decide if you can work out during your illness or not. Do not push yourself to such extremes from where you won’t be able to return back.
It is best to consult your doctor regarding your workout routine when you are sick and even after recovery.
Have you ever suffered from any illness during which you had to change or alter your workout routine? what did you do during that period? Comment below and let us know your experience.
Author: Dr Pooja Nilgar (Content writer and editor)
References
- Hackney, A.C. and Koltun, K.J., 2012. The immune system and overtraining in athletes: clinical implications. Acta Clinica Croatica, 51(4.), pp.633-640.
- aFerrie, S., Allman‐Farinelli, M., Daley, M. and Smith, K., 2016. Protein requirements in the critically ill: a randomized controlled trial using parenteral nutrition. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 40(6), pp.795-805.
- Börjesson, M., Arvidsson, D., Van Rensburg, C.J. and Schwellnus, M., 2018. Return to play after infectious disease. In Return to Play in Football (pp. 755-769). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
