To Exercise While Sick or Not to Exercise While Sick, that is the question
Lets start with my general interpretation, that I have gathered over the years… Don’t do it! Is that clear enough. But when is it ok to start? and is their any detrimental effects to an athlete which is used to training regularly to suddenly stop training all together?
So what have I found out so far, in my wide ranging research (not really), is that there is a lot of stuff written about how endurance sports can impair your immune system, but not so much about what to do about it.
So lets start with that how endurance training can impair the immune system. Heavy prolonged exertion is associated with increased levels of stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline and cortisol) which inhibit several aspects of immune function. But this is normally more of a problem in the last 12 weeks before a A race, because that is when the intensity sessions is introduced. If I am treating my “base” phase correctly than I am not stressing my immune session. But over winter there is obviously a more increased chance of get a cold or flu virus, so also need to ensure that the proper recovery is scheduled into the program. There has been some evidence that taking echincea helps prevent a athlete of catching a virus. A athlete should take extreme care immediately after a exercise session, as this is the time that they are more at risk of being contaminated with a virus.
So that’s prevention, but as we will all(well the majority) at some time succumb to a pesky cold virus, what do we do when we get one.
One very sport generalised document suggested that you just shouldn’t exercise because if your head is all stuffed up and nose running, you are more likely to suffer a injury. Well that is defiantly one argument. But you are talking to a girl, who came down with the flu last year, and because needs must, had to do her final Grade 2 run through the waimak gorge. That is a paddle of 6 hours, which is scary enough and hard enough for a newbie without having the extra influence of a flu effecting the physical and mental effectiveness. I came out none the worse the wear for it, but I know it was not a “ideal” scenario. But to worry about a injury is probably not a high concern for me in the type of training that I do.
A more sensible article referred to using Heart Rate to determine weather or not you should undertake exercise. If the current resting HR is 10 beats higher than the normal HR than you shouldn’t attempt to exercise. If it is within the 10 beats than you should be OK, to take on easy exercise. Increasing the body temperature does actually increase the body’s ability to kill the virus, but the exercise should be kept easy. If prolonged hard exercise is conducted, it will compromise the body’s immune system and allow the virus to take a firmer hold in the body.
If there’s a fever don’t exercise at all, as this will be detrimental to your recovery and could even damage the heart.
Its the returning to exercise after a spout of illness which can be the most difficult. In some instances it can take up to 2 weeks to return to normal (If you’ve been sick, and seen a doctor, you’ve probably heard them spout this magical number). This for a athlete can seem like a eternity and a lot of wasted time on for their training and achieving what they wanted. But you have to trust in the program and know that these 2 weeks, will not necessarily be detrimental to the overall structure of the program.
Having said that it may not take the 2 weeks to return to normal. Once the HR is near normal than gental exercise is helpful and then see how you “feel” as you progress back to a normal training programme.
References
Sport Related Injury Prevention
So lets see if I can follow my own advice. Resting HR is currently 54, its normally about 48, so obviously not too elevated, I am going to try a gental run and see how that goes. And I will stick to the footpaths, not tricky trails, in case I get a injury
Just been for that run. HR stayed about 150, so didn’t get high, but I just felt like I was running through water or something. So after 10 minutes, came back to a walk. and walked back home. I actually started to feel better while I was walking. And now I am feeling a bit more “up”. So I think at a gental walk, rather than a easy run, was a lot more beneficial to me at this stage of my “illness”. I don’t think that it will take me that much longer to recovery from this illness.
Please Miss, could I submit a question for you to research one day? I’d like to know why sometimes when I’m under the weather or really tired, that my HR can be really elevated, whereas at other times (when I’m feeling the same way) I really struggle to get it up to my aerobic zone. Two extremes. I’ve heard other people complain of the same thing, but I can’t find out why! There you go, that could be one of your future missions…
Did I see you departing from the Sign of the Takahe tonight?? I was just running out of Hackthorne Road to head up the Harry Ell and thought I saw your car pulling away on Dyers Pass (I still look twice at cars with kayak cradles!!). If so, wasn’t it a gorgeous night out tonight!