September 19th, 2023

Coach Jen

Getting sick is never fun and can be frustrating when you are in the midst of creating healthy movement routines and habits. So what should you do when noticing an onset of symptoms? Push through or catch an extra nap?

Well just like anything, the answer is…it depends. An article in Runner’s World suggests sticking to the “neck rule”. In general, anything involving the neck and below like, body aches, vomiting, swollen glands, sore throat etc. should be taken seriously and typically require some time off from running; while symptoms above the neck like a runny nose, or stuffinesses generally do not. But as always listen to your body!

Here are a few principles I stick to when feeling under the weather and in the midst of training.

Reduce the Intensity

If I’m on the mend and able to workout without many negative side effects I’ll still try to reduce the intensity for up to a week or until I feel 90% back to normal. Going too hard to soon can lead to setbacks. Scaling back the intensity of workouts and opting for easy recovery efforts is a good way to ensure you won’t lose any fitness while letting your body recover.

Pump in those Nutrients

Even though food and drink doesn’t always sound incredibly appetizing when sick, it’s important to get in some solid nutrients. One easy way to do so, is by incorporating liquids like green juices and smoothies, and bland veggies like steamed sweet potatoes and avocado. Ginger, lemon echinacea tea is also great for boosting immunity.

Pile on the Sleep

Sleep is one of the bodies greatest recovery tools and should be relied upon heavily post illness. If you’re anything like me, you start to feel a little guilty taking your foot off the gas, but this is definitely not the time to put in those late evenings or crazy early mornings. I try to reduce unnecessary distractions, so I can get to bed early.

Go easy on Yourself

When we look at the literature it takes weeks of no intentional movement to lose any measurable fitness so be sure to give grace to your pace! Reduce the intensity, pump in those nutrients, pile on the sleep and you should be back to your normal routine in no time.