A cold can throw a spanner in the works for motivated athletes. Find out in this article whether exercising is a good idea when you have a cold.
A cold can last up to 15 days. Many do not want to do without sport during this time. With us you will find out what you should definitely know about exercising when you have a cold.
The immune system works during a cold
During a cold, the immune system works harder to fight off the pathogen. Symptoms such as elevated temperature or fever are necessary physical effects of the immune system, as the Apotheken-Umschau describes.
Exercising in addition while the defense process is still running is an extremely stressful situation for the body. The immune system then does not have enough reserves to fight off the virus. The viruses are not sufficiently fought and can spread in the organism.
In addition to spreading the disease or worsening the symptoms, the viruses can also settle on the heart muscle. This can cause lasting damage. According to the AOK health magazine, possible consequences of intensive exercise when you have a cold can be inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), cardiac arrhythmia or cardiac insufficiency.
Exercise when you have a cold with severe symptoms
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / congerdesign)
If you have these symptoms, you should definitely not exercise:
- increased temperature/fever
-
Muscle and limb pain
- severe tiredness or lethargy
- Sore throat
Only when the symptoms subside should you slowly start your training again. Avoid getting back into your workout plan too early after a cold. Give your body a few more recovery days before you start exercising again. If you have a cold with very severe symptoms, you should even refrain from intensive sport for up to four weeks.
Sport can also have a negative effect on the course of the disease during the incubation period of a cold. So it’s better to do without training if you feel like you’re getting sick.
Sport with mild cold symptoms
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Bru-nO)
Everyone’s body is different and you should pay attention to how you feel if you decide to exercise while you have a cold. If in doubt, do not do the training or get a medical opinion. In some cases, however, exercise is not wrong when you have a cold. For example, if you have a mild cold, moderate exercise is not a problem as long as you feel fit enough.
A walk can be a good alternative to exercise. This gets your circulation going and you can test how you feel about it. Even with mild symptoms, it is taboo to go to a gym. There are many people in a small and closed space that you could infect.
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