Should you exercise when injured or sick?
Welcome to week 2 of back to blogging!
I am, admittedly the worst injured or sick person. Currently, either my allergies have gotten out of hand or I have a head cold. I wanted to stay in bed today, I felt like I really needed the rest. However, I have too much to do. I do not rest enough. I do not let my body heal. I do not give myself enough time to recover. I am a runner by nature and I LOVE to run. However, I have not run in two years due to the fact that I need a pretty extensive ankle surgery that would keep me non weight bearing for several months and wouldn’t you know it….my job is physically demanding! I try a lot of different things to address the pain, modify and keep moving. I fell on the Minnesota damn ice a few months back and reinjured my reconstructed shoulder. It is still bothering me and causing compensation to my already herniated back. I didn’t rehab the shoulder enough. I have clients who are out performing me, which makes me proud, but anxious. I went back to my lifting program last week and was SUPER embarrassed at the amount of power I had lost. I was even more embarrassed at how much I had to drop in weight to perform the lifts correctly. I felt like I was starting over. I have been joking that I am going to have to put myself into a medical induced coma, so that I can actually rest. I know, that sounds pretty extreme. However, I have a list of chronic injuries longer than my left leg and that pesky MS doesn’t go away. My body struggles with inflammation, sleep disruptions and digestion problems on top of the chronic pain and injuries. The fact is, I am a one woman show that owns a very small business with 2 other part time jobs, a family, two demanding cattle dogs, a home and the list doesn’t really end. I don’t have sick days, PTO, or short term disability. I can’t take a leave of absence. If I don't work, I don’t get paid and it messes with my clients memberships. It is a vicious cycle. I’m not whining, I am passionate about what I do. I am grateful to be able to do it and I really dig my commute (the 40 feet to my garage studio). However, here I am, about to tell you how to take care of yourself when injured or ill and I literally can hardly do it myself. So why would you listen to me then? Because I get it and I do understand and I want you to succeed. Life can be ALOT and we all deal with things differently. I have known many people that simply gave up their fitness journey because they became overwhelmed with the setbacks. You don’t have to do that. There is always a way through.
Let’s tackle illness first. Light to moderate exercise helps boost the immune system to avoid sickness, and when we are already sick, it may help increase circulation to reduce some symptoms of minor illnesses such as a head cold. Having said that, it is just not cool to expose others to your virus or illness as we SHOULD have learned through this whole Covid 19 experiment. It is selfish and irresponsible to knowingly expose people to something just because you do not want to miss your workout. Missing a day or two or even a week isn’t really going to change your current physical condition. As a general rule of thumb, a person with symptoms in their chest or stomach or someone with a fever should avoid exercising. If symptoms get worse or working out causes pain, people are best to avoid exercise while sick. Typically, it is okay to exercise with the symptoms of a head cold. You can also do alternative things like walk, hike, bike or yoga that can be lower impact and are less taxing while you have some illnesses. This allows you to stay active without overdoing it and causing yourself more harm. Covid 19 also made us aware that wearing masks while contagious can protect others, so if that is an option and is acceptable to your workout mates or coach you could try that with less severe illnesses. A few reminders, stay hydrated, eat healthy nutrient dense meals and snacks, don’t over do it and listen to your body.
This brings us to working out while either injured or recovering from injury. It is entirely possible that you may need to take some time to just rest to heal properly. This really depends on the injury. With that said, It is important to be as active as you can be without stressing the injury. Staying active may help you heal quicker than if you just decide to hang out on the couch and do all things couch potato related. Our bodies depend on the regeneration of cells and the boost in immunity that we get from daily exercise. If at all possible, we should try to keep moving in some capacity to encourage our bodies to heal. You may not see any gains during this period of time but you can most definitely attempt to maintain your fitness base. You may have to do this in different ways than you are use to and you will probably have to do more than modify your current workout program. Like work individually with a trainer or physical therapist. You will have to work with the parts of your body that are not not injured. You should try to get your heartrate up, which means you need to exercise at about 70 percent of your vo2max at least twice per week. There are some injuries that require more rest than movement and you will have to consult a medical expert in these situations. And no that is not me or any personal trainer.
There is an emotional component to being injured that people often disregard. The fact is, injuries and physical setbacks can take a mental toll on us and affect our overall happiness and self esteem. It is a good idea to stay connected to your fitness community for support, let your people help you if they can. Go to your classes or sessions to stay in your routine, even if you cannot fully participate. This can help keep the blues away during this time and keep you focused on recovery, so you can get back to the things you love to do. Injuries or illnesses can cause depression or anxiety. It will be important to seek specific support from a mental health professional in this case. And no this is not me either or any personal trainer.
One final note about this. Do not forget about your nutrition. People sometimes tend to diet during these periods of time because they are not moving as much and they worry about fat gain. Your body needs good, clean nutrition to heal itself. Cutting calories too much will hinder your recover. I talk ALOT about protein. Having a protein-rich diet can help reduce muscle loss and give you the nutrients you need to repair the damage. It is a TRUE story. You don’t have to take my word for it, there is plenty of information out there supporting this theory.
If you have specific questions about this topic, I am here all week! Give me a shout! If you are ready to commit to yourself and need a little boost of motivation, I will honor a 20% discount on your first package purchased if you email or text me. This applies to personal training and in person classes.
Until next week, treat yourself with kindness and spread that shit around!
Trainer out.
