Should I Work Out if I'm not Feeling Well?

Do you feel like you might be getting sick? Are you getting over a cold? Do you have a fever but want to push through for your workout? When should you rest and when is working out ok?

These are my personal thoughts on working out when you aren’t feeling your best and are not medical advice, but this is what I do and what I suggest when people ask me.

If you are feeling poorly, I think it is almost always the right choice to rest. When you are fighting off a cold, or when you are sick, your body needs rest and uses energy to ramp up your immune system to do what it does best. Resting will almost always help you feel better, quicker so you can return to all your favorite activities. If you have a fever and are feeling really bad, I don’t recommend doing anything physical. Lie on that couch, put your legs up, sleep, have someone make you warm soup and know that all of this will help you feel better soon (I know this may be impossible if you’re a parent with young kids but do what you can!).

If you’re on the tail end of sickness, or feel like you are fighting off something minor, you can add in gentle exercise. Walking is always great. Gentle stretching and gentle Pilates would be good options. The key here is truly listening to your body. Most likely you will do less than you normally would, but some movement will get your muscles moving, increase oxygenation and help you in feeling better.

Your body will benefit from rest and you’ll be able to return to your normal exercise and activities sooner. If you’re craving movement but still have a lot of symptoms of illness, a gentle virtual Pilates mat class or a virtual private session are good options to let you go slow, listen to your body and do less than you might normally.

Support your body in the job it is doing for your healing.