Here’s a good post I read from Coach Mel at SEALFIT. Thought this was appropriate for this time of year!
Coach Mel here to encourage you all to keep up the training even when you have a cold. You are not off the hook with your daily training when you have the sniffles! If you train right, you can even speed up your recovery. There are a few rules to go along with this advice however.
1. Never train with a fever above 100. This would be dangerous!!! Exercising could increase your temp to dangerous levels. You should be on the couch with soup, electrolytes, a cozy blanket, and a good book as you fade in and out of dream land! It is safe to DREAM about your workouts but that is all.
2. If your illness is above the shoulders, sniffles, headache, teary eyes, or sore throat you SHOULD be ok. Again, make sure no fever is present again. Also, be mindful of your fellow fitness folks and carry your handsani. Slather that stuff on EVERYTHING you touch to protect the innocent.
3. If you are sick below the shoulders: stomach ache, coughing, body aches, and any gastrointestinal problems.. SIT this one out. Coughing all over the place is not cool. Intestinal problems are REALLY not cool. If you have that nasty cough, feel free to take a jog and cough it out in the open if you feel well enough. Which brings me to my next point.
4. Do what you should..not can! When you are battling an illness it will not be the right time to be setting PR’s. You will want to listen to your body and let your ego take a rest. Those WODS for time should turn into WODS for Maintenance. Get those back squats in for the day but cut your weight and reps. If you are going to jump in on the Op WOD, cut your reps and weight back, go slow and focus on your technique. MOST IMPORTANTLY take a rest or stop doing what you are doing if you start to feel worse! Crazy Metcon Madness WODS will most likely set you into a tailspin and break down your immunity system further.
5. Remember , you want to assist your body in recovery, not give it more muscle damage and stress to repair. The average cold lasts about a week. The flu will drain you for 2 weeks.
6. Proper fueling and hydration are also hugely important . If you are blowing your nose every ten minutes, that is alot of lost fluid to your body. You will need to replace this loss prior to exercise. Your appetite might be off as your nose may not be working properly so make sure you fuel yourself prior and post workout to aid in recovery.
7. If you are taking antibiotics, you are too sick to workout. Antibiotics mean your immune system needs outside help to cure you. Let the medicine do it’s job and lay low. Walking might be ok if you are stir crazy. If you are taking over the counter med then you are masking your symptoms and might be masking a fever or body aches. Don’t “GO” if you “DON’T KNOW”!
8. Lastly, if your energy is low dial it back or do a little stretching/yoga. I haven’t met anyone yet that didn’t need to work on mobility. It is one of the 10 domains of Crossfit and will help increase performance once you are back at 100%.
9. This is not medical advice and always consult your doctor.
Try and remember to wash your hands, cover your mouths, and clean up your gear with a disinfectant wipe ALL THE TIME to keep from getting the gunk or spreading it.
Have a HEALTHY, STRONG, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!