When Not to Exercise

Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I'm a die-hard exerciser. I never use laziness or fatigue as an excuse not to work out, and I'll push myself through difficult exercise sessions knowing I'm doing something good for myself. Unlike what most experts advise, I don't schedule "rest days" because I never know when my schedule is going to make exercise out of the question. But not today.

Today I woke up with every intention of going to my Friday Cardio Muscle class at the gym, but alas, it was not meant to be. In a rare moment, I seem to have succumbed to the sickness that nearly everyone in my house has caught: My head's been in a fog, I feel weak and weary, congested, just plain awful. The current wisdom is, if the problem is from the neck up (stuffy nose, cough, etc.), it's OK to exercise, but if it's below the neck (chest congestion, bronchial, etc.), give it a rest. I would usually agree with that, but this feels systemic, so I bagged the exercise plans (sorry, Karen!).

It's cold and flu season, so you must take care of yourself. If you feel like something the cat dragged in, slow down, drink lots of fluids, and leave the gym shoes off until you're feeling better. But if you're just a little sniffly, maybe a little lethargic, a workout might actually make you feel better.

The litmus test for me is this: I imagine how I will feel after the workout. Will I feel energized, like I've "sweated out" all the bad stuff? Or will I feel shivery and worse than when I started? If you can only imagine the latter, wait for another day. It won't derail your weight-loss efforts that much, as long as you do get back to it as soon as you're well. We all do our best to stay healthy, but sometimes you just can't avoid getting sick. So know when it's time to throw in the towel.