THE BEST WORKOUTS FOR WHEN YOU'RE FEELING SICK
Okay, so it's really tempting to avoid any physical activity at all when you're feeling under the weather and wrap yourself in a blanket like a burrito on the couch all day. But physical activity is almost always beneficial, especially when you're feeling sick. Although you may be tempted to throw in the towel on your workout, you shouldn't do that! Exercise can actually boost healthy cells that you need to fight off that cold.
Below are some of the top 3 exercises you should do when you aren't feeling in tip-top shape:
1. Walking
A brisk walk is one of the best exercises you can do when you’re sick. Cardiovascular exercise can help clear your sinuses and open up your nasal passages, making an immune-boosting 20-minute walk a great choice when you’re feeling stuffed up.
2. Doing yoga
Yoga is a perfect exercise for when you're feeling sick because it's so gentle and calming. Of course, when you're head is feeling so heavy with mucus, you don't want to do hot yoga, so stick to restorative yoga that isn't as intense on your body.
3. Dancing
Taking a Zumba or cardio dance class-or even just dancing around to your favorite tunes while you clean the house-can serve as an awesome stress-reduction technique. Research has actually discovered that people who just listened to 50 minutes of dance music had less cortisol and more cold-fighting antibodies. Dance classes are also usually low impact, so you can break a sweat without feeling like you're head will explode from jumping around with cold-related sinus headache.
If you're debating whether or not to work out when you're sick, a good rule of thumb is to think about the "neck rule". Are your symptom above the neck (like a stuffy nose, sneezing, sinus pressure) or below the neck (like a cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, chills)? If your symptoms are above the neck, exercise is a good idea, but if it's below the neck, it's better to let your body heal before getting back to your workout regiment.