Returning to Exercise Safely After Illness

By now, you’ve gotten the message: Exercise is good for you. It may lower your risk of heart disease and certain cancers, help you manage your weight, boost your mood and more.

But exercise has downsides if you have an illness like a cold, flu or COVID-19. When you’re sick, it may be just as important to take a break from your regular fitness routine as it is to stay active when you’re healthy.

“You actually put yourself at risk of getting sicker if you do strenuous physical activity while you deal with an active infection,” said Matthew J. Rachwalski, DO, a Michigan City sports medicine specialist with Franciscan Health Sports Medicine.

When Exercise Is Likely Safe And When It Isn’t

In most cases, it’s safe to exercise if you have symptoms such as a mild sore throat or a stuffy nose. But if you have whole-body symptoms like a fever, chills or joint pain, these are signs your body needs to rest.

It’s helpful to think of it this way:

• When your symptoms are above the neck, it’s OK to do activities you can comfortably do. Just take it easy so you don’t overtax yourself.
• When symptoms occur elsewhere in your body, it’s best to lie low until you feel better.

It can be hard to take time away from exercise when you’ve made physical activity a priority. But it’s important to be smart if you want to return to your normal fitness level.

“The best way to do that is to make sure you stay hydrated, take any medications prescribed by your provider and rest,” said Thomas Schmittdiel, MD, a primary care sports medicine physician with Franciscan in Michigan City. “That gives your body the best chance to heal quickly so you can get back to your previous level of exercise.”

Working Out After Being Sick

So, when is it safe to pump some iron, put on your running shoes or pick up your racquet again?

The answer can be different for everyone, according to Dr. Rachwalski.

“If you have asthma and another respiratory illness, you should probably not ramp up your exercise as fast as someone who doesn’t have underlying lung problems,” he said.

“If you’re a college athlete who’s going back to playing a sport, you probably have a high-functioning lung capacity at baseline. You’re likely to tolerate a return to activity better than someone who’s a smoker, older and trying to go back to a physically demanding job.”

The right time to exercise again comes down to how you feel.

“Making sure your symptoms are resolving is really important,” said Dr. Schmittdiel. He advises you to:

• Be fever-free for at least 24 hours.
• Be certain you can tolerate food and water.

“You want to make sure that you’re hydrated and have the energy to exercise,” he said.

Move Forward Gradually

Aim to gradually build up your exercise intensity and endurance.

“If you still feel somewhat under the weather, you can try some light exercise and see how it goes,” said Dr. Schmittdiel. “If you handle that OK, you might try to push yourself 25 percent further next time. Over the course of the next week or two, as your symptoms completely resolve, you can return to full exercise.”

The key is to stay in tune with how you’re feeling.

“You know your body better than anyone else,” said Dr. Rachwalski.

And you know when something isn’t right.

“If you start to do exercise you can normally do easily, and all of a sudden you feel like your heart is racing, you’re sweating and you’re having difficulty breathing, take note,” said Dr. Schmittdiel. “Those are good signs that you’re pushing yourself too fast.”

Fatigue that’s not normal for you is another sign you need to cut back, according to Dr. Rachwalski. There’s a tendency to believe that if there’s no pain, there’s no gain. But that isn’t true when it comes to exercise and illness recovery.

Reduce Your Risk Of Future Illness

Once you feel like yourself again, exercise away. Regaining fitness after illness isn’t usually difficult, but it can take some time. And along with all the other health benefits exercise offers, it may strengthen your immune system. By being physically active, you may lower your risk of illness in the future.

“I would never want anyone to think that exercise is bad for your immune system,” said Dr. Schmittdiel. “Exercise is very good for it in the long term.”

If you have questions about how or when you can safely return to exercise after an illness or how you can get more active in general, our providers are here to help.