Stupid illness!
 

I just wanted to vent for a minute. I have fallen ill with a cold and all I want to do is sleep no matter how much sleep I get each night! I'm so disappointed cause I was really looking forward to getting to the gym and stuff this week but I don't feel like doing it at all! I've been staying on plan with my calories but I'm scared that working out will only make me feel worse. I hate being so darn tired all the time; it makes me feel lazy. What do y'all do when y'all are sick?

I recently had a sinus infection and terrible allergies at the same time. It was horrible! I knew I felt just like you do, no motivation, no energy and certainly no desire to leave the house - but - I did it anyway. Once I was at the gym and on the treadmill or elliptical, I got over it. It took about a week but I finally started to feel better.

I'm the type of person where if I cheat once, I'll cheat at every opportunity. I have to stick to a plan in every way in order to stay on course.

Take light walks instead !

I had the flu and although I hated being sick, it was great for my weight loss, as I didn't want to eat anything. I think I lost at least four pounds during the week I had it, and I managed to keep it off despite the fact that I did essentially nothing that entire time.

If you still have a fever wait it out. If you have a very heavy cough wait a few days.

Sometimes coughs will linger for WEEKS so then I usually just wait a couple extra days and see. Once I am in to the "hack up a lung like a smoker in the morning but then it backs off for the day" stage I just get back to normal activity.

If you are unsure...which is what it sounds like you are now...go to the gym and do half of your normal workout at a reduced intensity. i.e. if you normally do 40 minutes on the treadmill at 4.0 do 20 minutes at 3.5. (and please sanitize the equipment extra carefully!!!)

If after the workout you feel worse, you know to take some more rest but you probably havent done enough to cause the illness to last longer. Take another full day off and try again.

Most of the time you will feel better after a light workout.

Another important thing is to make sure you are getting adequate nutrition. Whole foods with lots of nutrients. Viruses enter healthy cells, take over the machinery to replicate themselves, and then blow up the cell to release more viruses. You have to fuel your immune system and metabolism to replace all of the dead cells lost in the battle. I usually exercise if I just feel a little puny. If I have a fever or am totally wiped out, I just rest. I might have to tone down the intensity a bit, and I make sure to try not to cough/sneeze in the air or on stuff, just out of courtesy to other gym members. Remember, your metabolism is increased slightly when you are sick, so you will be just fine if you stay on track. Feel better!

When sick, I let myself rest. No exercise except what's necessary so that I can heal faster.

I do stick to eating healthy foods then, so the damage from lack of exercise is minimal.