I have done it! I have achieved something that has hitherto been completely unknown to me (at least in the last decade)! I have gone 4 full weeks, exercising every day (except for Sundays, which are always my day of rest), without missing! You read that right. 4 weeks straight! Woo hoo!
So this morning, going into week 5, I woke up with an annoying little stomach bug. After the worst had passed by mid-morning (ha ha, no pun intended), I quickly fell back to sleep and did not wake up until around 1:30 in the afternoon. As you might have guessed, I haven't done any working out today ... yet! So here are my thoughts on exercising when you are under the weather.
First, no matter the ailment, if you are going to work out when you are ill you should plan to scale down the intensity appropriately. When I exercise today I will do more of a walk-through of my exercise program (currently Les Mills Combat), possibly breaking a little sweat; however, no serious huffing and puffing, muscle-fatiguing, floor-stomping, barf-worthy workout will be happening today (just for the record, I have never actually barfed during or after a workout, but I know people who have and I think they might possibly have been overdoing it a bit--but who am I to judge?). The important thing here is to teach your body that you are serious about your commitment to exercise and that, if at all possible, you will be moving your body in some way on any day that you have scheduled a workout.
Also, remember that exercising, if you can find just the right balance of movement without excess (hint: this means learning how to listen to your body) can actually speed up your recovery time from many illnesses. It gets your blood and lymph pumping through your body, thus getting the gunk out more quickly. Working out will also encourage you to drink more water, which is essential for cleaning out your whole system. So go ahead and exercise when you are sick, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.
Second, there is no need to be perfect. I generally do yoga 6 days a week (I am a yoga instructor, after all) and I like to go for a run most days (I am almost a Chi Running instructor, after all), in addition to the quality time I spend with the Les Mills gang. Today I thought about going out for at least a walk after I woke up from my long, mid-day nap, but I was still feeling pretty lousy, and being that it is winter outside it is a bit chilly for an evening walk (assuming I was feeling better by this evening), so I decided to forego that part of my workout today. I am not stressed out about this. Missing one day will not kill me or cause me to lose any significant amount of fitness, and it is important that I allow my body to heal. So no running (or walking) today.
What about yoga? Besides the yoga I did while lying in bed trying to find a comfortable position without aggravating the nausea, I may do a few light, low intensity, easy poses after my Les Mills walk-through, but nothing too intense. Like I said, perfection is not the goal; teaching your body that you are serious about exercise is.
Third, if you had to be driven to the urgent care to get an IV full of healthful fluids to help you mend, chances are you are too sick to exercise today. Even if you have to break a 4-week long--or 40-year long--exercise streak, listen to your body. Be wise. Don't exercise at any intensity if your body is telling you no. And sometimes, it will tell you no.
So here is the take home message: Listen to your body. If you are under the weather but are still feeling up for a little exercise, be sure to lower the intensity appropriately and stop when your body is ready to stop. And when you are feeling like yourself again, get back to it, and be grateful for every day that you are alive and able to move your body. What a blessing that is!
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