Can I go to the gym with a fever? Physical activity during a cold

When we are drawn into daily sports, breaks for the duration of the disease are given to us with difficulty. Especially if it's just a slight ailment and it seems that nothing terrible will happen if we go for a run or look into the gym. Sometimes it's really not scary. Sometimes it's even helpful. And sometimes it can lead to much more unfortunate consequences than a week break.

But there are situations when a long break in classes is very undesirable (for example, before competitions). And it is for such cases that the “Above the neck” rule exists.

Most coaches do not advise exercising during even mild ailments. But how many people - so many opinions.

"Above the Neck"

The rule is very simple. If your symptoms are above the neck and in a mild form - a runny nose or a sore throat - then you can do it. With a slight runny nose during sports, the nose ceases to be stuffy. Some especially desperate ones even specially go for a run with a runny nose (when it had just begun) in order to disperse the blood and stimulate the immune system. Avid runners say it helps them a lot.

If the symptoms of your cold are below the neck - cough, difficulty breathing or indigestion - it is better to skip classes. Add muscle pain and fever to this list. Not only can you be contagious and people around you get sick, but you will also aggravate your condition.

Edward Lasowski, a specialist at the Mayo Clinic for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, recommends that you only resume exercising after a severe cold and flu a few weeks after your symptoms have disappeared.

Yes, physical exercise help temporarily get rid of nasal congestion and stimulate your immune system. But this does not mean at all that exercising reduces the duration of a cold. At least, this has not yet been proven by any of the clinics that are engaged in such studies. I immediately remembered a popular saying - “If you treat a runny nose, it goes away in a week. And if not treated - in seven days.

What is the best way to start classes?

You need to do half the strength and cut the duration of classes by half. If during the first 5-10 minutes you feel better, you can slightly increase the load. In case of mild discomfort, it is better to stop training and rest. During intense exercise, your body releases certain hormones that lower your immune system and make you even more susceptible to other infections.

Moreover, with strong physical exertion, a slight cough can develop into bronchitis or pneumonia!

Let me remind you once again that you can do it only if you just have a malaise in the form of a slight runny nose or a sore throat. Better yet, consult with your doctor or trainer.

This topic is very, very controversial, and I have not yet heard unequivocal answers. Therefore, first of all, you should think with your head and listen to your condition. No competition or weight loss is worth the deplorable consequences that can follow from training in a diseased state.

Just a sore throat, do you immediately take sick leave and refuse to train? Or vice versa - do you go to the gym even with a temperature? Which approach is the most correct and safest for health - we understand together with the doctors.

In the season of colds, athletes always face the same question: is it worth it to go to train if you feel that you have begun to get sick - are complications possible? Several studies have been done on this. One of them is at Ball State University (Indiana, USA). 50 student volunteers were randomly divided into two groups: one is involved in sports, the second is not. All participants were artificially infected with a cold - doctors monitored their condition throughout the experiment. The “sports” group worked out every day for 40 minutes - b e gom, cycling or steppe - by 70% of their maximum capabilities (doctors monitored their pulse). At the end of the study and after analyzing all the data, it turned out that there was no significant difference in the severity and duration of symptoms accompanying the disease between the two groups. That is, the experiment showed that moderate exercise does not increase the symptoms of a cold and does not undermine the immune system. But at the same time, high-intensity activities that involve lifting weights, or aerobic training have a negative effect on immunity during a cold or any other respiratory infection. Therefore, here it is necessary to feel the edge and be aware that one thing is superfluous strength exercise can add a few painful days to your sick leave. Try to correctly build a workout and not burden your body if you still decide to go to the gym.

Dmitry Troshin

general practitioner at EMC

With a mild form of a cold, especially without fever, you can play sports. But we must not forget: the main route of infection is airborne, so it will be possible to infect other people in the gym. In addition, when we have SARS, we are more likely to get some kind of "secondary" infection - this can aggravate the symptoms. Therefore, doctors usually do not recommend visiting crowded places during the period of illness. If there is a cough, shortness of breath and so on, it will be just hard to play sports.

Olga Malinovskaya

Medical Director of KDL, Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics

I would not recommend exercising with any anxiety symptoms, it is especially important to spare yourself at the beginning of the illness. A runny nose does not allow breathing through the nose, and frequent deep breathing through the mouth, it dries the mucous membrane and additionally damages the already sore nasopharynx. In no case should you engage in active sports against the background of cough and fever. Lack of rest during illness increases the chance of developing complications. Although if you feel good after a recent cold, but nasal congestion remains without discharge, in this case, light and moderate exercise, leading to the release of adrenaline, helps to cope with nasal congestion: adrenaline is a natural remedy that affects the tone of the vessels of the nasal mucosa.

With acute symptoms of the disease, no load is useful. Sometimes it happens that a person plans to go to a workout, but experiences atypical pain and discomfort in the muscles of the back and legs. This may be the first sign of the disease associated with symptoms of intoxication. And it is quite possible that an incomprehensible malaise in the evening can easily turn into a fever in the morning and headache. If you suddenly inexorably want to lie on the couch amid malaise, it is better to feel sorry for yourself, even if life is subject to an iron will and military self-discipline.

David Nieman, head of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University (who, by the way, has run 58 marathons and ultramarathons), advises sticking to the “neck rule.” If the symptoms of a cold are located below the neck - pain in the body, severe cough - you should forget about training. If higher - runny nose, sneezing - you can play sports. But in any case, you should always listen to your body.

Dmitry Solovyov

Challenger medical expert

In general, it is now generally accepted that there is no clear, common for all period for which physical education should be interrupted after a cold. For each person, for each cold, he has his own. Intense physical activity weakens the immune system. Therefore, in the midst of an illness, when the immune system already has to work actively, it is better not to subject it to unnecessary tests. At this point, it is worth taking a break from sports and simply lie down.

When to return to training

Dmitry Troshin

general practitioner at EMC

It is worth returning to training after recovery. Weakness is a frequent companion of any colds, so it may simply be difficult for a person to engage in the same mode immediately after he is cured. I usually recommend gradually introducing the load and observing your condition, gradually increasing it. But there are always some peculiarities. For example, infectious mononucleosis - restrictions on sports range from four to eight weeks (depending on the type and traumatism of the sport) due to the risk of rupture of the spleen. Therefore, it is better to discuss the issue of returning to training with your doctor. It is one thing when a person falls ill with ARVI (only a runny nose), another with pneumonia; There will always be different times.

Recently I got sick, but now I feel fine. The runny nose is preserved, in the evenings I feel a little tired. Tomorrow I have a workout in the gym, I follow my figure, is it possible to go in for sports with a cold, if there is no temperature or is it insignificant? Irina, 22 years old

Normal well-being and malaise in the evenings cannot mean a satisfactory state of health. The patient needs a sparing regime, stay at home. By enduring a cold and fever "on their feet", people themselves provoke the addition of secondary infections, overwork and a decrease in immunity, complications on internal organs and systems. If you yourself feel a mild course of a cold and there are no other symptoms other than malaise, you can do light workouts within physical training . The load should be applied gradually and 3-4 days after the first symptoms.

Lethargy, malaise, slight body temperature - all this can affect the deterioration of well-being after exercise, so it is generally better to refrain from visiting the gym. Given the purpose of your training, you should refrain from training and skip 1-2 sessions. The body will get stronger, strength will return, and sport will bring the necessary benefits. During a period of discomfort sports loads are not only useless, but can also cause some harm due to biochemical processes inside the body.

During malaise due to illness, stress, severe overwork, neuropsychiatric stress and prolonged fasting, the body produces a special hormone - cortisol. The hormone belongs to the catabolic group, which promotes the breakdown of protein, including muscle protein, increases blood glucose levels and promotes fat storage. Cortisol helps the body adapt to emergency conditions, creating additional resources to restore a person's strength.

In other words, the body begins an intensive accumulation of useful and nutritious substances by breaking down protein into amino acids, and glycogen in the blood into glucose.

It turns out, giving the last strength in training in case of illness, the body accumulates fats and trace elements, due to the destruction of muscle structures.

So, is it possible to train with a cold? For any physical activity There are a special number of factors that should be considered when going to training. Classes are prohibited under the following conditions:

increase in body temperature;

chills, fever;

manifestations of a viral or bacterial infection;

aches in the joints;

inflammatory diseases of the throat (tonsillitis);

period of antibiotic therapy (reception of systemic antibiotics).

Taking antipyretics, antibiotics and attending a workout can adversely affect the condition of the kidneys, liver, and lung structures. The temperature can rise even against the background of the drugs taken. Physical activity increases the load on the heart and blood vessels. With a burdened clinical history, the simultaneous course of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza or the common cold with a worsening condition requires the patient to rest, observing a protective regimen.

After recovery, you should not start exercising immediately. The body needs time to recover, so it’s enough to limit yourself to walking on fresh air, easy jogging in the park or in the forest. Exercise stress should be gradual.

Cold training can be useful for improving natural ventilation of the lungs, improving blood circulation, and stimulating the overall tone of the body. A beneficial effect can only be with an uncomplicated cold. During a mild cold without fever and signs of complications, a number of some recommendations should be followed:

reduce the duration of the workout by 20-30 minutes, subject to an hour session;

reduce the intensity of physical activity by 50%;

do a warm-up by doing simple exercises;

give preference to yoga, Pilates, slow stretching on the floor;

drink water while exercising.

During the recovery of the body, the same rules should be followed. Too intense loads during the rehabilitation period can provoke a new jump in the disease.

When exercising in a gym surrounded by a large number of people, you should refrain from exercising for up to 2 weeks to eliminate the risk of re-infection by airborne droplets.

It is important to understand that if with a cold without any special manifestations you can run and do feasible sports, then with the flu it is important to stay at home and observe bed rest. Unfortunately, you did not specify how long the cold lasts. Perhaps these are the initial signs of SARS or influenza. In order to avoid complications and aggravate the clinical situation, it is better to refrain from visiting the gym.

Also, subsequent sessions should be postponed if there is a significant deterioration in the training process. The body requires sufficient resources and energy costs in case of illness, directing all forces to eliminate pathogenic pathogens. During a cold, you need to drink enough fluids. The ideal option there will be decoctions based on berries, herbs, dried fruits.

It is important to follow a diet, stop smoking, alcohol. For a quick recovery, you should take vitamin complexes, freshly squeezed juices, fresh vegetables and fruits. Saturation of the body with vitamins has a beneficial effect on general state, improves mood, increases resistance to pathogenic microflora.

If children during the period of a cold and its complications are given exemption from physical education, then adults should independently assess their own well-being and make a decision. It is better to allow the body to rest and recover than to provoke an increase in temperature and the addition of various complications after a workout.

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Text: Marat Tanin

You will be surprised, but if you ask ten of your friends whether sports are useful or harmful for a cold, opinions will be divided approximately in half. Each of them will have their own truth, depending on their lifestyle. At the same time, none of them, for sure, is a doctor, right?

For quite a long time, doctors around the world argued whether it is harmful to the body sports for colds. After all, when you get sick, your body is already weakened by the fight against the disease, what other physical activity is there!

How does sport affect your well-being with a cold?

At the end of the 20th century, North American doctors tried to prove that physical activity during a cold would not only not harm the well-being of a person with a cold, but even help the body cope with the disease. During the study, a group of volunteers were injected with a cold virus through the nasal cavity. After that, all the experimental subjects expectedly developed a runny nose. After some time, when the disease reached its maximum symptoms, the sick were sent to take the "sport for a cold" test - using a treadmill. After that, the researchers recorded that the cold did not affect the work of the lungs, as well as the ability of the patient's body to endure physical activity.

Sports and colds - two things incompatible?

It would seem that what a positive result! However, there are many critics of such studies. They argue that doctors use in experiments too mild strain of the cold virus, which causes little to no health complications. Whereas in real life a sick person is attacked by viruses different types, which, firstly, can damage the lung tissue and bronchi. And secondly, the cardiovascular system. And this means that if, for example, physical activity is considered not with a cold, but during the flu, then you can get serious heart complications. Going in for sports, a sick person overloads the myocardium. The flu causes it to become inflamed.

Another serious objection to overseas researchers is the fact that any cold slows down the anabolic processes in the muscles. And physical activity with a cold with slow anabolism will lead to muscle breakdown. Not to mention the positive effect of training - it simply will not happen.

So is it worth exercising with a cold? Hardly. At a minimum, there will be no benefit from training. And in the worst case, you risk getting complications from the disease. Take a break, spend these three days at home. Treadmill won't run away from you.

To begin with, it is worth knowing what happens to the human body when it gets sick, but at the same time continues its sports activities? According to numerous studies, scientists have been able to determine that intense physical exercise leads to a weakening of the state of the human body, and therefore you should not immediately go out into the cold in winter, or be in places where there is a mass congestion of people. And this is when a person is in a normal state, healthy, without complaining about health. And if some kind of virus overtook him, then the immune system has to withstand much more serious stress than ordinary training. As a result of any cold, anabolic processes in the body decrease, and muscles are no exception, the production of the catabolic hormone cortisol, which destroys muscle tissue, increases.

A bit of theory

Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that breaks down proteins, including muscle, and also increases blood glucose and fat accumulation. Its production is facilitated by overwork of the body, stress, fear, exercise, starvation or illness. Surprisingly, this hormone is designed to help the body, in particular, by mobilizing nutrients and “necessary” substances. Thus, there is a breakdown of proteins to amino acids, and glycogen to glucose. Thanks to this, the body receives additional building materials, which helps it recover from a negative period for it, which is the case with an illness.

Knowing this, when you are sick and wondering if it is worth going to training with a cold, it is worth remembering how cortisol works, and the answer will be obvious. There is no point in training for a cold! Sports activities are not only deprived at this moment of any positive effects on human body, but they can also destroy his own muscles! But this still cannot be called the most terrible consequence of active sports in case of illness. "Look through" the Internet pages, where you will find a variety of articles on the rule "above the neck." For those who are not yet in the know, we inform you that the “above the neck” rule is as follows: “if the symptoms of the disease are above the neck (for example, a sore throat or a runny nose), then you can train!”. However, scientists have a different opinion on this matter.

As you know, the human lymphatic system is represented by special capillaries that are filled with lymph nodes and lymph, which is a liquid through which tissues remove harmful substances of decay and metabolism, various bacteria and toxins. As for the lymph nodes, they are represented by a collection of immune cells. In an absolutely healthy person, lymph nodes are not visible, but when they increase and are felt on the neck, this is a signal that some pathological processes are going on in the body.

Heavy training has an immunosuppressive effect - that is, immunity from them depresses. Sports activities with moderate intensity will not have a depressing effect on the immune system. Sometimes, on the contrary, they have a positive effect. Scientists have found that with a mild course of the disease, moderate loads in the form of cardio training with low intensity and moderate duration are safe. But heavy and intense training should be postponed until complete recovery. It should be noted that not all serious diseases are recognized on time - for example, the flu in the first hours looks like a simple cold, but playing sports during the flu is not very useful! Be also careful if you had to come into contact with a carrier of the virus and feel a slight malaise, then be sure to postpone intensive training and lie down at home until you get better!

When can I exercise after a cold?

It is strictly contraindicated to train at a temperature, intoxication, difficulty breathing, sore throat or exacerbation of tonsillitis! Another important point that needs to be taken into account is that in case of illness, the human body “tunes” catabolically – it needs energy to fight the disease. That is why there is a production of many stress hormones that scold the reserves of glycogen, protein, fat. Of course, you can forget about high-quality recovery after playing sports - another drawback of strength training.

It is also extremely important how severe the disease is, and indeed, whether you get sick or not get sick, to a greater extent depends on what your inner mood is. This can explain the so much successful marketing of cold remedies, which miraculously quickly cure colds, which usually go away easily on their own.

So is it good to play sports with a cold, or is it, on the contrary, dangerous? It may seem at first glance that this simple cold will not cause anything serious to the body, but when it is also bundled with intense training, then you can already seriously harm yourself! But when for a person sport has become such an integral part of his life that he does not want to miss at least one lesson, then he will be scared to think about skipping a workout for a week or even more! And then the disease! And thoughts arise in my head: “Is it worth skipping regular workouts because of illness?

Is it possible to play sports during a cold

Any physical activity always has a positive effect on the general well-being of a person and helps his body more steadily counteract the adverse manifestation of the environment. However, it turned out that this rule does not always work! There are times when it is worth giving up any physical activity on the body. And such moments happen with colds. Most people get colds 2-4 times a year, and according to the trend recent years it is noted that there are more and more people who are engaged in fitness every year, so this topic can be considered relevant.

When a person goes to Gym or starts running, then he sets himself a specific goal - to become more attractive: lose weight, build muscle, pump up, etc. However, the subconscious dictates to us one more goal - to be healthy! Most likely, not everyone thinks about this when they start training, but it is not necessary, since it is built into the mind. And with a cold, sports activities have the exact opposite effect. To the question of whether it is possible to train with the flu, there is a categorically negative answer! Influenza is a type of SARS, but can have more serious consequences and complications. Influenza can be more severe, causing lethargy and high fever. And if the temperature has risen, then training is generally contraindicated so as not to cause complications to the kidneys, heart or lungs. Thus, you need to be extremely careful, and at the slightest sign of the flu, stop your activities and visit a doctor. In this case, it will be more useful than your favorite trainer.

And when the disease recedes, after three or four days you can proceed to your regular classes sports. However, it is worth remembering that the load should be increased gradually, without rushing into the “pool with your head”. Don't exhaust your body with hard workouts. Your body will need at least another week to fully recover, so save your energy and help yourself get back into your usual workout routine.