Is Working Out When Sick Actually Safe?

Since school has started, we are all exposed to a lot more bacteria than we were over the summer. Recently a lot of viruses have been going around. A few teammates and friends of mine have gotten sick, all having high fevers, runny noses and sore throats. It feels awful to be extremely busy and sick. I don’t know about you but when I get sick, I get sick at the most inconvenient times. I usually get sick in the middle of winter when I have a million obligations and things tying me down to school. I try to only miss a day or two maximum. I’m not sick at the moment (and I’m hoping I won’t be) but a lot of times I have wondered if it’s actually safe to workout as normal when I’m sick. I learned last year from my coach that running while having a fever is unsafe because of something regarding the bloodstream and the high body temperature interfering making things dangerous. I have read in a few places that it’s completely safe and un-harmful to continue with your routines as you usually would. If I’m mildly sick with maybe a small cough and stuffy nose then yes, I’d push through it and make it through my workouts at a regular pace. If I didn’t have a fever but felt extremely weak, tired and congested, I would consider taking a day off or doing something lighter such as yoga or light weight training. I don’t think it’s necessary to take every day off for the entirety of the sickness but I do think that on the worst day, it’s pretty safe to say you need a day of rest. If a fever lasts more than a day, It’s okay to take time off until the fever subsides. I personally don’t take anything for fevers because the point of a fever is to elevate the body temperature to neutralize bacteria and viruses in the body. If the body temperature is artificially lowered with medicine, then the body can’t burn up the bacteria which could potentially cause it to linger in the body even longer. It really depends on your personal symptoms and sickness. If it’s contagious and you belong to the gym, it’s obviously probably best to work out at home. (402)