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I was working out with a head cold this week. Read on to see how I modified my workouts and why I didn’t just stay in bed all week.
Normally, I don’t recommend that people continue working out when they’re sick. Your body needs plenty of rest, water and healthy food to support your immune system as it fights the illness. (Personally, I load up on bone broth and veggie soups!)
A lot of people tend to view a “good workout” as an intense, draining period of physical activity. Without diving into all the other reasons why this does not make a “good workout,” I’ll just say that when you’re sick is absolutely NOT the time for an intense workout like that.
However, certain low-level physical activity can actually help the immune system work better than with no activity at all! Of course, this depends on an individual case-by-case basis because everybody and every sickness is different. But if you can really tune into your body and have the discipline and awareness to limit how much you push, the activity could do you a lot of good.
Working Out with a Head Cold
I came down with a head cold mid-week. As much as I hate being sick (it’s so dang annoying!) it was a great opportunity for me to catch up on some rest I obviously needed. And, since I do need to do at least a little physical activity each day to feel good, it was a good chance to scale back and do just enough.
Lately, I’ve been pushing harder than normal in the gym. I’ve got my first 10k coming up July 21st and I’ve finally reached a point where my body is comfortable being challenged more. But I can also get too competitive with myself and fall back into that unhealthy mindset of “intense workouts are better.” They’re not. Exercise should leave you feeling energized and awesome.
This week, my head cold was the reminder I needed to scale back and make sure I finished working out feeling better than when I started.
What workouts and activities did you do this week? What are your goals for next week?
Need some tips and inspiration to make those training goals a reality?
Monday
Rest Day
I usually work one or two rest days into my week, depending on how I’m feeling. Rest days are tricky for me. On one hand, it’s so important to give my body time to rest. But taking a day off from my hip and core stability exercises can also mean that I’m pretty uncomfortable because of my hypermobility. I have to be flexible on my rest days.
Today, I had to do one round of my stability exercises. Then I followed it up with just laying comfortably, closing my eyes, and breathing for 5 minutes.
Tuesday
Full Body Workout
This is one of my new workouts this month, so there was a little trial and error determining the right number of sets, reps and weight. I really challenged my glutes, core, and shoulders with this one and it left me feeling strong and stable, but more tired than I like. Next time, I’ll do slightly fewer reps.
Wednesday
Rest Day
Woke up with a runny nose and sore throat so I took the day off. I focused instead on resting, staying hydrated, and eating some healthy food to hopefully speed my recovery. Check out this post to see what I eat when I’m sick!
Thursday
Light Strength Workout
I was feeling a little better and I make it a point to not miss two days in a row so I decided to do a light strength workout. The workout was balance work, an upper body exercise, a lower body exercise, and one full body exercise. I kept the weight low and did just enough so that I felt pretty great when I finished.
Friday
Warmup + Playground
First thing this morning, I got up and did my warmup exercises. This got me moving, worked out some tight spots, and got me physically and mentally ready for the day. It was awesome. If you don’t have a morning warmup routine, seriously consider starting one!
The kids and I met up with a friend and her son at a playground. We spent the rest of the morning playing, and enjoying each other’s company and the fresh summer air!
Saturday
Full Body Workout
Finally almost over this head cold so I’m sticking with my normal workout routine. Except I’ll hold off on trying to run until tomorrow. Still just enough congestion that running doesn’t sound fun yet.
Did a slightly more challenging full body workout compared to Thursday. Though, compared to what I’ve been doing, I initially thought it might have been too easy. But thinking about how I felt after – energized and strong – instead of tired, I know I did exactly how much my body needed.
Sunday
Warmup + <5 mile Long Run
I hoped to get a good practice run for my 10k in. But I woke up this morning with an aching neck and super tight right leg. 99% sure that head cold knocked my neck out of alignment. Lovely right?
Running often helps my body work through some of the pain I get when my neck goes out, so there was no way I was missing that run today. Though realistically I knew that it would probably be a shorter run.
My primary goal was to listen to my body and enjoy the run, however long it ended up. I definitely achieved this goal, and might have been able to go longer. But coming off a head cold plus the neck issue, stopping while I felt good was the right call. And as a bonus: the run took the edge off my neck and leg pain.
What I listened to today:
Earn Your Happy with Lori Harder: Episode 388: Turning Surviving into Thriving