Many people lay off exercise when they have a cold. But that may not always be necessary. Our Healthy Skeptic looks at the cold, hard facts.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The Claim: It’s okay to exercise with a cold.
Woman: “I do not exercise when I get a cold because I feel like I need as much rest as I can to let my body repair.”
Robert Davis: When you have a cold, exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. But some people don’t let sickness stop them from hitting the gym, saying it does no harm and even makes them feel better. Turns out that belief is nothing to sneeze at.
Research shows that exercising with a garden-variety cold doesn’t pose a problem for most people.
In one study, for example, researchers sprayed a virus into people’s noses, causing them to develop cold symptoms. Some participants were then randomly assigned to work out for 10 days, while the others didn’t exercise.
In the end, the exercisers’ colds weren’t any longer or more severe than those of the non-exercisers. If anything, the exercisers fared a bit better.
Many doctors say if your symptoms are from the neck up… meaning sniffles, sneezing, a sore throat, or dry cough… it may be fine to exercise if you feel up to it.
But you may want to dial back the intensity a bit, especially if you feel more fatigued than usual during or after your workout.
If your symptoms are more serious … things like chest congestion, fever, or muscle aches … it’s best to lay off exercise till you recover.
If you choose to work out with a cold, try to avoid doing it at a gym. People at gyms are in close contact… touching the same equipment and dripping sweat onto it… all of which makes places like this hotbeds of germ transmission. By doing your workout at home or outdoors, you’ll be keeping your germs to yourself… and doing your fellow gym-goers a favor.
Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I’m Robert Davis.