Maybe a stupid question...Exercising with a cold?

[tcfxaox]

I've had a cold since last friday - I pretty much ignored it and went cycling / rock climbing (high levels of effort - 7 or 8 on a scale of 10) until yesterday when I ended up nice and light headed in the afternoon and had to nap the entire evening away.

Today is my regular day for rock climbing - I could probably push myself through it as I am not light headed today, just dealing with the typical scratchy throat / mucus etc. How bad of an idea is this? >.< Should I just keep it at home and go for a light* bike ride instead or take another* day off?

(I'm training for a cycling century in the end of November...not excited about skipping my exercise...darn cold...)

Thanks!

[CoolBee]

Bad idea. I got pneumonia once from pushing myself through a bad cold and hitting the heavy exercise regime 2 days after the cold had gone. I ended up so ill I couldn't do anything for 6 months without being wiped out. My pulse used to rocket up to 150 + just climbing a single flight of stairs.
I always respect colds now and lay off the exercise immediately.
There is an idea that's probably worth considering that if it's in your head you're ok as long as you don't push yourself, but the second it hits your chest, cease and desist.

[tcfxaox]

Ok...its in my throat and is seemingly progressing to my chest as I am just starting to sneeze and cough today (I'm no doctor...thats my best guess) There is also no way at all to go climbing with my group without pushing myself at an effort of 7 / 8 of 10. My upper body is not as developed as my cycling legs so climbing is always a significant workout.

Sounds like its time to knock off the exercise and cut back the calories for a few days.

Thank you for the response!

[EvolveWithFlavor]

I have exercised with a cold many times ...

Ironically I have found that physical activity tends to take the cold away (most of the time).

I would try this and see how it works.

[tcfxaox]

Evolve,

How would you rate your effort when exercising when sick? Keep in mind - if I decide to go climbing the sport itself almost demands an effort of 7 / 8 out of ten. Granted - I could knock it down to a 4 / 5 by reducing the number of routes I climb, giving myself more time between routes, and stopping when I get to the point of muscle exhaustion instead of pushing it to get that last climb in. I still would have to drive 45 min to get there and I wouldnt get home until ~11PM.

Alternatively...I could do a low effort 30 - 45 min road cycling ride just to get my butt out the door and keep that 'repetetive' muscle memory thing going. (Yay for physiology 101). I would also be able to nap and get some extra rest. If at all possible..this needs to be gone (or on its way out ideally) by this weekend so I can slam out some mileage on my group rides.

Let me know your thoughts

[CoolBee]

Consider the scenarios:
You do the cycling - how much time do you lose from your climbing training, how much effort is involved, how soon can you get home if you feel like crap?

You do the climbing - you not only tire halfway up the climb, but other people are relying on you (possibly) to belay a rope or something but you are weak and your muscles are shaking. You get so you can't function. How do you get home? How much potential time do you end up losing from your training and possibly not doing the main climb at all?

Do the cycling if you must and take plenty of rest. You have a few weeks til November so it might be your body telling you to have a mini break now before the main challenge kicks in anyway.

[Clint Cora]

This is interesting because like the general rules for getting over colds - lots of fluids and plenty of rest. So if I get a cold, I generally do not push myself. I may do light stretching and some really easy martial arts, almost tai chi in nature.

If I have a cough, there's no way I'll be able to do much exercise for sure. If a fever is present, you certainly do not want to do anything to raise your body temperature any higher.

Fortunately, I have not had any colds for the past few years even as I spend 50 days outside for ski days - and some were darn cold (minus 20 degrees Celcius). But then again, I'm careful what I touch in public and stay away from people who might be coughing or sneezing.

[openeyes]

Light to moderate excercise such as walking a mile or so can be good because it improves lymph circulation which aids immune function, but I wouldn't wear myself out with intense exercise.

lymph system

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by EvolveWithFlavor

I have exercised with a cold many times ...

Ironically I have found that physical activity tends to take the cold away (most of the time).

I would try this and see how it works.

This is the case with me as well. Exercise usually helps me get rid of symptoms and feel better.


OP, I would say just don't totally exhaust yourself. And definitely get enough sleep each night until you are better.

[LoudSilence]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

This is the case with me as well. Exercise usually helps me get rid of symptoms and feel better.


OP, I would say just don't totally exhaust yourself. And definitely get enough sleep each night until you are better.

I gotta agree here. I once caught a cold and was in a situation where I had to be incredibly sedentary. I felt like it was a typical uneventful cold, but it then blossomed into a longlasting bout with pneumonia. Since that experience, I make sure that I do limited exercise at the onset of a cold and throughout its duration, and my colds have been incredibly minor since then.

[CoolBee]

So, tcfxaox, that's two of us who ended up with pneumonia! Are you sure you even want to do a bike ride?
Maybe a gentle walk from your home and back again!

[tcfxaox]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! I've been keeping it close to home this week - napping and getting into bed earlier. I'm still not over the cold, its turned into a chest cold and is considerably annoying. I've had coworkers tell my boss to send me home for fear of getting sick haha.

I've pretty much avoided activity in general, especially on days when I am light headed. Can't wait to get back to training though.

[Megalodon]

I would also cut down the effort to a bare minimum, but then again it mostly depends on how bad your cold is and how your body gets over it. Sadly my immune system is not top notch so I had enough colds to know exactly how my body reacts and what to expect when I catch a cold. To me it's definitely no effort.

As weird as it may sound I'm glad to hear that you skipped your training.