Snotty Noses and Sore Throats
It was about 1:30pm on a Monday afternoon. I had a great morning workout and was finishing up teaching at the studio. All of a sudden I got hit with a horrible feeling, I felt like shit. It came on fast and furious. One moment I was feeling great and the next all I could think about was going to bed. When I got home I made myself some tea and it hurt to swallow. I still had an afternoon with the kids and another class to teach. And all I wanted to do was check out of everything and just get under the covers.
I should feel lucky, the minis have gotten a few colds this season, while I have been able to keep myself fairly healthy. We’ve had a few late nights of coughing and some pretty snotty noses, but have been clear of the flu…so far. The stomach flu is my standard of health, if we don’t get it than I take it as a successful year. Just to preface, one year we each got it TWO separate times. That was a really bad year. This year has been your basic common colds just a few times through. I don’t spend my time trying to find the lineage of any illness, with all the door handles we touch and shopping carts we push, I figure we are always one eye itch away from getting something horrible.
I usually get one bad cold a year. I try my best to take care of myself, but sometimes it is harder than it seems. I thought I would send out this advice, both to share and to remind myself when to workout and when to rest.
First of all, and most importantly, if you think you are contagious stay home. Stay away from the gym both for your sake and the sake of everyone around you. Nobody wants your snotty nose, weepy eyes or hacking cough anywhere near them. This can be a little hard, since some of the times we are most contagious before we know we are sick.
Secondly, if you are sick, your body needs rest. Your body does a lot of work when you are fighting a virus. And where you might think it would be beneficial to go out there and work out, it could be taxing your system and leaving less energy to fighting the virus. It would be even more beneficial to go home, drink some fluids and get some sleep. The water will help clean out your body and the sleep will help your body work at healing from the virus.
That advice is basically just skimming the surface of the illnesses that make up a lot of our winter exposure. What it doesn’t address is the grey area. Yes, if you are sick, stay home. Yes, if you think you are contagious, leave yourself and your virus at home. And yes, it is best to rest. But what about when you are feeling tired and run down? What about when your kids are sick? What about the exhaustion you feel after you’ve rested a few days? The grey area has no simple answers. When I feel like I am fighting something off, I will still workout. I will do something pretty easy and spend about half the time I normally would working out. But what I find more important is that I get my sleep. During these times, I will make sure I get to bed a little earlier and turn off all electronics before getting into bed. I will also make sure I drink a ton of water. These same rules apply when I have sick kids or I am recovering from a cold. I just take it easy for a few days but I don’t usually rest. I also find walking can be a good gauge of my healing. If my walk seems strenuous, I probably need more rest.
Resting for a few days isn’t going to ruin any of the progress you’ve made in the past 6 months or year. Taking the time to let your body heal and recover from being sick will help the virus be destroyed and will help build your immune system. This year has been a nasty year for the flu, colds and even the stomach flu. Take care of yourself so you can be stronger and healthier in the long run.