Illness, Consistency, and Performance

We all start feeling ill at some point during the year, regardless of season. When the illness comes along, there are two extremes and reasonings that people will resort to:

1) I'm sick, but that can't stop me from working out as much as I usually did, working out won't affect my illness recovery.

2) I'm sick, I won't workout until I feel 100% better, and I either a) won't eat unless it involves Sprite and soda crackers or b) will eat, but the diet goes out the window. It's not like my body will accept it anyway, right?

Resorting to either of these extremes is a bad move when you're feeling ill. Your immune system (and thus your whole body) is already run-down as it is; intense workouts will only exacerbate the issue, extending your recovery period. Also, throwing your prior-to-illness diet will only make your post-illness comeback period more difficult. You will feel sluggish, tired, and won't be able to perform (run, lift, etc.) as well as you were able to before.

Sometimes when I get sick, I fall victim to extreme #1. Not participating in a workout at least 4 times a week messes with my head; I start to feel tired, lazy, sad, and as if my life is out of order. Working out, for me, not only helps with my external appearance, but it helps keep my life on track. That being said, I have in the past justified continuing to workout just as hard as I did prior to my illness when I'm actually sick. Noticing that my illness too a lot longer to get over from when I resorted to these extremes, I modified my approach to my consistency and performance while sick.

If you're the type of person that feels the need to workout to maintain sanity (among other things, like myself), then tone down the workouts in terms of frequency and intensity - don't over-do it!! Instead of a 1 mile sprint, go for a light jog. Instead of a timed workout, go for something that works on your skill-set, at your own pace.

And, in addition to STAYING with your current diet (Paleo, Zone?), make sure to get plenty of REST and FLUIDS (water!).

Once you're completely over your illness, you won't notice as much of a decline in your performance throughout your workouts had you followed this advice rather than one of the two extremes presented. Hope this helps!