A cold, although unpleasant, is a fairly common disease, especially in the off-season. Sometimes she can confuse all plans, but what about people whose good habit has become regular exercise? Should you skip training when the first symptoms of illness occur? There are so many specialists and so many opinions as to whether it is possible to play sports when you have a cold.
Regular morning jogging, fitness, swimming and other sports activities not only improve physical fitness, but also help strengthen the body’s resistance to various diseases, including colds. However, is there any reason to continue exercising if you are feeling unwell? IN in this case motives such as the desire to become slimmer, fitter and more attractive fade into the background. Being healthy is still a priority.
How do opponents of training during the onset of illness justify their views?
Risk of complications
A number of doctors are of the opinion that any training during illness will bring absolutely no benefit. They justify this by the fact that even a healthy person is undesirable to go out into the cold air or visit crowded places immediately after intense physical activity due to the fact that the body’s defenses are somewhat weakened at this time. Whereas with a cold, the immune system is already suppressed and there is a high probability of complications.
Malaise is a reason to cancel training
Action of the hormone cortisol
Colds lead to a decrease in the level of anabolic processes in the muscles and in the body as a whole. Along with this, the production of cortisol increases. It is a catabolic hormone that can break down muscle tissue and increase blood glucose levels. In addition, it promotes the accumulation of fat mass. In itself, this hormone, the production of which is activated during stress, hunger, overwork and illness, is not at all harmful; on the contrary, it is designed to mobilize everything nutrients. In the future, muscle proteins broken down into amino acids will serve as building materials for the restoration of the body. However, exercise during a cold can negate all the beneficial effects of cortisol, and all exercise will only have the opposite effect.
Danger of spreading infection
Another risk is mentioned when training during illness - during the inflammatory process, the lymph nodes enter the fight against microbes and bacteria. They stand guard, taking the blow and preventing the virus from spreading throughout the body. Intensified training will allow the infection, along with the blood, to penetrate into other organs, and the consequences can be very serious.
When is a cold not an obstacle to exercise?
However, not all experts are so categorical about playing sports during a cold. Many are of the opinion that if a number of conditions are met, it is quite possible to go to training. If the disease occurs without fever, and general health is quite satisfactory, moderate exercise will not cause harm. In some cases, exercise will even help relieve nasal congestion.
Nevertheless, main principle Such activities are a sense of proportion and a lack of fanaticism. There are several basic recommendations:
- It is necessary to reduce the duration of training by one and a half to two times, and also reduce their intensity.
- Give up strength exercises - they still won’t bring the desired effect during this period, which is due to the above-mentioned effect of cortisol on muscles. It is better to do stretching, jogging, yoga, step aerobics.
- Monitor your heart rate. If it exceeds 120-130 beats per minute, it is advisable to stop the activity.
- Increase the amount of fluid consumed per day. It is better to give preference to ordinary warm water, which you should drink a little every 15-20 minutes.
- Do not forget about proper rest after classes. Sleeping at night for at least 8-9 hours plays a significant role in recovery.
- Avoid hypothermia and visiting crowded places after training.
- Gradually increase the load as you recover. Returning to your usual routine is possible approximately in the third week after recovery.
- During the recovery period after a cold, take vitamin supplements as recommended by your doctor.
Will exercise during a cold be beneficial or harmful? Studies have shown that with moderate loads, training does not cause harm, however, it does not contribute to a speedy recovery. We should not forget that the vast majority of colds are caused by viruses, and the patient, coming to sport Club or Gym, where a lot of other people are engaged in indoor activities, can become a source of infection. Considering that it is not very comfortable to exercise in a medical mask, you should think about the possibility of doing fitness at home or at fresh air.
When is training contraindicated?
Despite the fact that doctors have different views on whether it is possible to exercise when you have a cold, there are a number of categorical contraindications to exercise.
Fever
No specialist will approve of sports for a cold if the patient has a fever. Exercising in such a state will not definitely bring benefits, but with a high degree of probability they will cause future problems with the heart, lungs, kidneys or other organs.
Flu
This disease is dangerous primarily due to possible complications, moreover, it occurs with elevated temperature and general weakness. If you have the flu, you should not exercise. In the first days you should observe bed rest. While getting up and walking around the room from time to time will be helpful, exercise will have to wait until you are completely healed.
Do not exercise if you have the flu - stay in bed
Severe cough, difficulty breathing
Diseases of the lungs and bronchi are a good reason to visit a doctor rather than the gym, since they require long-term drug treatment.
You cannot play sports when you experience body aches, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain due to a cold, progression of disease symptoms, severe weakness, and fatigue. If the body is exhausted, it is better to give it rest rather than exhaust it with additional stress.
How long it will take to fully recover from illness depends on many factors, and it is advisable to consult your doctor before starting to exercise again. After all, professional athletes are always under the supervision of a physician who monitors their health and develops individual program for the period of rehabilitation.
How to maintain and improve health with the help of sports?
Regular exercise and sports significantly reduce the risk of viral and other diseases. This is due to the fact that an active lifestyle increases the body's resistance, helping to increase the number of white blood cells necessary to fight viruses, and improves overall health. How much and how should you exercise for it to be beneficial?
Daily running strengthens the immune system
According to experts, the following activities are most effective for strengthening the immune system:
- Daily half-hour jogging or walking in the fresh air.
- Cycling 3-4 times a week.
- Yoga.
- Aerobics, water aerobics.
- Tai chi is a Chinese form of gymnastics that is suitable for both young and old people.
- Stretching - stretching.
However, no matter what sport you prefer, you should take into account the characteristics of your own body and not chase exorbitant results. You should not rely on the performance of acquaintances and friends. Having worked yourself to the point of exhaustion, no one has ever become healthier. Excessive stress weakens the immune system and opens the way to disease. And the main goal of playing any sport, if we are not talking about Olympians fighting for medals and records, is still maintaining health.
Text: Marat Tanin
You will be surprised, but if you ask ten of your friends whether exercise is good or bad for colds, opinions will be divided approximately in half. Each of them will have their own truth, depending on their lifestyle. Moreover, none of them are probably doctors, right?
For quite a long time, doctors around the world argued whether it was harmful to the body. sports for colds. After all, when you are sick, your body is already weakened by the fight against the disease, what else are there? physical exercise!
How does exercise affect your well-being when you have a cold?
At the end of the twentieth century, North American doctors tried to prove that physical activity during a cold not only will not harm the well-being of a person who has a cold, but will even help the body cope with the disease. During the study, a group of volunteers were injected with a cold virus through the nasal cavity. After which, as expected, all experimental subjects developed a runny nose. After some time, when the disease reached its maximum symptoms, the sick were sent to undergo a “sports for colds” test - using a treadmill. After which the researchers recorded that the cold had no effect on the functioning of the lungs, as well as on the patient’s body’s ability to withstand physical activity.
Are sports and a cold two incompatible things?
It would seem, what a positive result! However, such studies also had many critics. They claim that doctors are using in experiments a strain of the cold virus that is too mild, which causes virtually no health complications. Whereas in real life a sick person is attacked by viruses different types, which, firstly, can damage the lung tissue and bronchi. And secondly – the cardiovascular system. This means that if, for example, you consider physical activity not during a cold, but during the flu, you can get serious complications on the heart. When playing sports, a sick person overloads the myocardium. Flu causes inflammation.
Another serious objection to overseas researchers is the fact that any cold slows down the anabolic processes in the muscles. And physical activity during a cold with slow anabolism will lead to muscle destruction. Not to mention the positive effect from training - it simply won’t happen.
So is it worth exercising when you have a cold? Hardly. At a minimum, there will be no benefit from training. And in the worst case, you risk complications from the disease. Take a break, spend these three days at home. Treadmill he won't run away from you.
Such a common disease as colds and runny nose often takes us by surprise. Just yesterday you were a healthy person, full of strength and energy, but today you feel slightly unwell and have a stuffy nose.
If you are a professional athlete or just a fitness enthusiast, you will definitely be interested in the following question - is it possible to play sports with a runny nose and other manifestations of ARVI?
Is it wise to visit the gym when the first symptoms of illness occur, or is it better to skip the workout? In the content of this article you will learn about in what cases playing sports can benefit or harm your body.
Recently, information appeared on the Internet that a well-known American college had conducted research in the field of sports medicine. Judging by the results of this scientific research, light physical activity with mild signs of acute respiratory infections or colds does not cause any harm to health.
But the scientists of this college do not recommend engaging in heavy sports, since such training can delay the patient’s recovery process for a long time. It should be noted that this scientific experiment was carried out under the supervision of doctors who knew exactly what kind of virus the study group of people was infected with.
In conditions Everyday life we will not be able to accurately determine which disease is a symptom of a runny nose - a common ARVI or influenza. Therefore, while you play sports thinking that you have a mild cold and, in fact, have the flu, the course of the disease can become seriously complicated.
Any disease, be it an acute respiratory viral infection or a cold, has a negative effect on our body, reducing anabolic processes and increasing the production of catabolic hormones, in particular cortisol.
This substance has a number of properties that have a destructive effect on all protein structures of the body, including muscle proteins. Cortisol also leads to increased blood glucose levels and fat storage.
Among the reasons for the activation of the production of this hormone are stress, ARVI and others. colds, starvation, overwork, fear, physical activity. Surprisingly, cortisol's main job is to help the body fight stress or infection by mobilizing all its nutritional resources.
Since amino acids are formed as a result of the breakdown of protein molecules, and glucose is formed from glycogen, our body receives additional Construction Materials, which he needs to restore cells damaged by the disease.
It would seem that the answer to the question of whether it is possible and necessary to exercise when you have a runny nose or a cold is obvious. Such training makes no sense, because not only will it not have any positive effect, but it will also destroy your own muscle tissue.
If you have a strong immune system, then a little physical activity can even help fight the disease. The only question is how to exercise correctly if you have symptoms of a cold.
Light exercises such as yoga often turn out to be very useful and help eliminate the first signs of ARVI. As mentioned earlier, the reason for the increase in cortisol levels is long and strenuous training and the associated overwork. Therefore, in this case, physical activity should be moderate or light.
If after physical activity during an acute respiratory viral infection or a cold you feel unsatisfactory and very tired, then perhaps you should slow down the pace of your workout a little or resort to lighter exercises.
Regular exercise can actually help prevent disease and improve immune system function. But in this case it is important not to overdo it.
Destruction of your own muscles is not the most terrible consequence active physical activity during illness. On the Internet you can find various articles about the so-called “above the neck” rule. There is an opinion among many athletes that when the symptoms of the disease are localized above the neck (pain and sore throat, runny nose), it is allowed to play sports.
Scientists from all over the world have proven this statement wrong. The fact is that the human lymphatic system consists of lymph nodes and special capillaries that are filled with lymphatic fluid or lymph. This liquid performs a special function in our body - it removes toxic substances, harmful bacteria, as well as metabolic and decay products. Lymph nodes are a collection of many immune cells.
With the development of a pathological process in the neck and head area, these formations increase in size and become painful, since it is in them that the fight between leukocytes and harmful microorganisms occurs. Thus, an invisible barrier is created that prevents the spread of infection to other organs and systems of the body.
And if during this period you still risk visiting your favorite gym, then the dangerous infection contained in the lymph nodes, along with the blood flow, will quickly spread throughout the body - and this, in turn, will certainly lead to the development of severe complications.
Important! It is strictly forbidden to engage in strenuous sports with symptoms of ARVI or flu, since in this case physical activity is not so much beneficial as harmful, because it depletes the patient’s already weakened body.
If the disease is not accompanied by severe symptoms, you can resume training. But in order to ensure that going to the gym does not harm a weakened body, you need to know some rules.
- The duration of the workout should be reduced by at least 30%. So, if your usual workout takes 1.5-2 hours, then if there are signs of ARVI, its duration will be from 45 to 60 minutes.
- It is also recommended to reduce the intensity of physical activity by 50% during the period of illness. This can be achieved by reducing the time spent on each individual machine by half or halving the number of “approaches” for each exercise.
- When you have a cold, acute respiratory viral infection or flu, the body needs a large number of liquids. Therefore, when playing sports during illness, you must drink purified warm water every 15-20 minutes.
- During the recovery period, after recovery, it is necessary to gradually increase the intensity of training. In the first week, physical activity can be increased to 65-70%, in the second – to 85-90%, and only in the third week can you train as usual.
- In order for recovery to occur faster, a sick and weakened body needs complete rest and rest.
Whether you can exercise when you have a runny nose or a cold is up to you to decide. If you are confident in your abilities and know how to dose the load correctly, then sports can even help you recover faster. In any case, you need to be aware of the risk of developing complications of the disease. Remember that your health is in your hands!
Protecting yourself from colds is quite difficult. This process leads to weakening of the body, discomfort and loss of strength. The disease can affect even those people who perform daily physical exercise. This begs the question: is it possible to exercise when you have a cold?
Experts conducted an experiment on fifty volunteers, half of whom were forcibly infected with a viral infection. The duration of the study was ten days. During illness, one part of the subjects engaged in weightlifting. The rest jogged and worked out on exercise machines.
The group that was infected with the virus and engaged in light sports recovered in seven days without any damage to their health. Bodybuilders and weightlifters began to recover only by the tenth day.
After this, experts concluded that those who undergo light training when they have a cold recover normally and do not cause complications.
Of course, this verification method had many opponents. After all, the infection did not occur under natural conditions, and the virus strains were too weak. In the natural environment, everything proceeds differently.
Some contraindications to exercise when you have a cold
Professionals say that all diseases that occur above the neck are not a restriction on playing sports during a cold. If you have mild nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat, you can exercise.
When the disease affects joint and muscle tissue, colds and sports become incompatible.
An absolute limitation to any exercise is to raise the temperature above 37 degrees. Also, a professional does not engage in sports training in case of various inflammatory processes, pain, cough, difficulty breathing, heaviness in the arms and legs, and muscle pain.
Sports for colds among non-professionals
Training during a cold or lack thereof by professionals takes place under the strict supervision of specialists. It is the doctors who determine the patient’s condition and make a verdict on whether it is possible or impossible to perform the exercises in this case.
But what about those who play sports on their own? Are they allowed to exercise when they have a cold? How to correctly determine your condition? People who have exercised can do light exercises. But there are two opinions on this matter.
The first is that any exercise is contraindicated even at the first manifestations of a cold. These include sneezing, coughing, mild malaise, weakness, and runny nose.
The second opinion is based on how well the patient feels. If a cold does not greatly affect his general condition and there is slight congestion in the nasal passages, runny nose and sore throat, then visit sports training Can.
Based on two opinions, experts determined the absolute limits.
- The patient has an elevated temperature. This process always indicates that an inflammatory process is occurring in the body. Engaging in any physical activity during inflammation is strictly prohibited.
- Influenza infection. When this disease occurs, the body is subjected to severe intoxication, as a result of which not only body temperature increases, but also weakening of the body occurs. The recovery period after suffering from the flu should be at least eight weeks. You cannot train during this process, since the flu carries many complications.
- Intense cough that comes from the chest area.
- Painful sensations in joint and muscle tissues, aching bones.
- Loss of strength. When the body is severely exhausted, it requires rest. Therefore, you should not overload it with physical activity.
Sport as a preventative measure for colds
It is believed that sports activities reduce the likelihood of developing a cold. Experts say that physical activity strengthens not only muscles and joints, but also immune function. Thanks to exercise, the level of leukocytes in the blood increases, which allows the body to better fight pathogenic microflora.
What can you do to avoid colds? It is not necessary to get involved in weightlifting and constantly torment yourself with loads. They should be moderate and go away in one or two days.
The patient can do:
- daily jogging in the fresh air for thirty minutes;
- aerobics every other day;
- yoga;
- stretching muscle fibers;
- aerobics combined with oriental martial arts;
- slow Chinese gymnastics;
- water aerobics.
During the period of colds, vitamin complexes and immunostimulating agents should be taken as additional therapy.
Proper exercise for colds
If the patient has no absolute restrictions, then you can begin training. But for them to be beneficial, several rules must be followed.
- Reduce the duration of training by twenty to forty percent. If exercise usually lasts one and a half hours, then if you have a cold, it should last no more than forty minutes.
- Reduce the intensity of the training process. During the period of a cold, the indicators decrease by fifty percent. That is, the number of exercises and approaches is reduced by about half.
It is enough to do a warm-up, run along the track and do simple exercises.
During the period of a cold, any strength exercise is contraindicated. - Observe the recovery period. After the patient has recovered, the intensity of exercise in the first days can increase to fifty percent. After a week they are raised to ninety percent. During the recovery period, doctors advise taking vitamin complexes.
- Drink plenty of fluids. During a cold, the body loses a lot of water. As a result, the muscles dry out and weaken. To restore balance, you need to drink up to two liters of fluid per day.
During the training process, the patient needs to drink water every fifteen minutes.
- Provide the body with proper rest. To recover quickly, the body needs to be given rest after physical activity.
It is worth noting that after training, the patient’s immunity drops significantly. Therefore, you should avoid large crowds of people.
It’s not just physical activity that strengthens immune function. In order for the body to recover and recover faster, you need to follow several recommendations.
- Does not refuse to take medications. For a viral infection, you need to take antiviral drugs, for a bacterial infection, antibiotics.
- Observe proper nutrition. During a cold, food should be gentle and soft. Hot, spicy and hot foods should be avoided. The diet should include cereals, soups, boiled meat and fish, vegetable and fruit dishes, and dairy products.
- Regularly ventilate the room and humidify the air.
- If possible, do not go outside for three days. The body needs to be given time to rest and recover.
- If there is no temperature, warming procedures can be performed.
- If the temperature is elevated, taking a bath or shower is strictly prohibited. It is enough to wipe with warm water.
Many colds are caused by a viral infection. When the patient is in an acute period, it is better to skip training. This will become dangerous not only for the patient himself, but also for those around him.
Exercising indoors is dangerous, as the patient spreads viruses by sneezing, coughing and sweating. Therefore, everyone who is nearby has a chance of getting sick.
If it is difficult to give up sports, then it is better not to visit the gym, but to conduct classes at home.
Influenza infection is especially dangerous. The thing is that this disease leads to various complications on the kidneys, heart, and brain. During the training process, blood circulation improves, all cells are enriched with oxygen. But if a person is infected, the viruses will spread throughout the body.
When the first symptoms appear, it is better to consult a doctor.
Is exercise good for colds? This question was answered by scientists in a study conducted by the College of Sports Medicine in the USA. Those who conducted the study found that exercising when you have a mild cold helps reduce symptoms.
And, conversely, strength training can completely unsettle a person during a cold or, even more so, the flu. Power training in strenuous sports such as powerlifting, arm wrestling and bodybuilding, showed a significant worsening of cold symptoms in people who did not stop exercising.
Sports can help you recover faster
Scientists came to this conclusion during their research. But only if, scientists believe, physical activity does not deplete the body. After all, what a healthy person can do is sometimes beyond the capabilities of a sick person. A cold weakens the human immune system, and with it all other systems of the body.
Therefore, even with relatively normal health and a cold in the initial stage, intense exercise can only make cold symptoms worse. But with more in serious condition, but with optimal exercise (light exercise and a healthy diet, plenty of water throughout the day), sports can shorten the duration of the disease and alleviate its symptoms.
Even taking into account the fact that the average person gets a cold up to 5 times a year and this person is an athlete, a cold can prevent him from exercising. But you shouldn’t sacrifice your health to sports. If you get sick - reduce sports load, and you will recover much faster.
What happened in the groups of subjects during the experiment?
Scientists at the American University of Indiana conducted a study of 50 people under the leadership of Professor Weidneris, MD. These 50 people - students - agreed to be injected with virus-infected serum, and then scientists observed them for 10 days. At the same time, 25 students were actively involved in sports during this entire period, while others practiced only light exercises.
After 10 days, it turned out that those students who did not expose their bodies to too much physical stress when they had a cold recovered more quickly. Their cold symptoms were not as severe as those who did extreme strength training. You can draw your own conclusion.
Reality and the cold experiment
Experiment with students - this needs to be taken into account! - Conducted under mild laboratory conditions. The virus he introduced was not severe and did not cause very serious cold symptoms, as often happens in real life. But those who periodically suffer from colds should know that ordinary life a person suffers from many strains of viruses, against which the human immune system can be very difficult to fight.
In addition, unrecognized viruses can cause serious complications: disruption of the heart, blood vessels, respiratory system, kidneys, liver, cause intoxication of the entire body, which causes unbearable pain in the muscles and head. And then it can be quite difficult to distinguish the flu from a cold, choose the right treatment, and even calculate the duration and intensity of physical activity. Your doctor will help you with all this.
If you are sick, do not torture yourself, but get plenty of rest, and do the exercises that you can do. This way you will recover faster and there will be less chance that the cold will return soon.
Complications due to physical overload
It is quite obvious that even a mild cold is a burden on all body systems. It suppresses anabolic processes in muscles, activates the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which poisons your tissues and puts muscles in a painful state, destroying them. If a person does not give himself a break by actively playing sports, these processes are accelerated and aggravated. And then you will not only get no benefit from the training, it will significantly harm you.
Do not play sports or give yourself strenuous exercise if:
- You're in the midst of a cold
- Your symptoms are getting worse
- You feel increased weakness and fatigue
- You don't get enough sleep
- You have an elevated body temperature - over 38 degrees Celsius
- Your muscles and head hurt
- You are coughing and wheezing
- It's hard for you to breathe
If the disease is severe, it is better to avoid physical activity for about 3-4 days after recovery - this will guarantee you the best effect of getting rid of the cold.
What remedies will help you cope with a cold?
Please note that these remedies will not shorten the duration of your cold, but they may reduce the severity of cold symptoms
- Taking antipyretic medications, such as Theraflu
- Sucking on cough drops with a pain-relieving effect, such as Travesil
- For severe cough symptoms, take antitussive syrups, such as Tussin or Travesil
- To reduce irritation and dryness in the throat, you can use sprays such as lugol, kameton or inhalipt
Preventing colds in combination with exercise
Even if you are actively involved in physical education and sports, do not forget about the following methods of preventing colds:
- Be sure to take your vitamins about a month before the onset of cold seasons - in October and April. As recommended by your doctor, you should take vitamin complexes at least twice a year – in spring and autumn.
- Rest and get enough sleep - this will reduce the risk of illness
- Take vitamin C and glutamine as recommended by your doctor, especially before seasonal flu epidemics
- Boost your immunity with echinacea extract (unless you have high blood pressure - echinacea will increase it even more).
- Temper yourself at any time of the year, but gradually.
So, physical activity during a cold, as we have seen, depends on the state of health and the severity of the disease. Therefore, when deciding on sports during a cold, you need to be guided by your doctor’s prescriptions and your own common sense.