The Best Way to Start Exercising Again After Being Sick
8th November 2021
“I just need to sweat this cold out” said so many but helped no one ever.
Not just Covid, but a winter cold, flu, virus or tummy bug can throw a serious wrench in your normally fit routine. But when should you start exercising again after being sick and what is the best way to start exercising again after being sick?
Generally saying that if you’ve had a good exercise regime before getting poorly and you were sick for a week, you lose about 30% of your fitness. The good new is that with two to three weeks of training-using the right bounce-back strategy-you should be close to your normal physical fitness again.
So, when are you good to return to your exercise regime?
First and foremost, make sure you haven’t had a fever for at least 48 hours. You should also have a few good night’s sleep under your belt, and no longer have any aches and pains. We generally recommend that you should feel 100% healthy, THEN have an extra day of rest and after that you’re ready to exercise again.
TIP 1:
The 50% rule is a good one when returning to your exercise regime:
Whatever weights, sets, and reps you were doing prior to getting sick; cut it in half. For example, If you usually run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, after being sick, start back with 15 minutes of walking and running intervals.
Don’t panic if it feels easy, that’s the point! Your body has just been through a battle on the inside. Don’t add more stress by over exercising..
So build back slowly, even if you’re tempted to push harder.
TIP 2:
After lying in bed for almost a week, your body might hurt all over just from not moving. The inactivity was almost worse than the illness! One of the safest ways to wake up your muscles after an illness is by starting with isometric exercises. Isometric exercises are done with your body completely still so you are not moving through large ranges of motion, can be done with almost every muscle in the body, and can be performed anywhere.
Try moving your body into various positions and then just squeezing your muscles for 30 seconds.
Start with just a few minutes of isometric exercises once a day and see if you can build to twice a day. Your muscles will thank you for using them!
TIP3:
Listen to your body and make changes accordingly. Don’t be afraid to adjust your training session or seek for professional help if you feel like you need help! You don’t want to make more damage to your body. (Let’s just think about the effect that coughing and sneezing has on our pelvic floor!)
We’re always here to help you, you can contact us here
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