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Should I Work Out When I’m Sick?

This week I woke up to the sound of my daughter hacking out a lung. Sleep deprivation, difficulty breathing, and an achy body makes a person miserable. But what about your fitness routine? How do you know if you should skip that workout <GASP!> or push through?

If you do an Internet search on the subject you will find the “neck rule” which says that if your symptoms are above the neck, it is okay to exercise. On the contrary if your symptoms are below the neck, including coughing, nausea, and body pains, then exercise is not recommended.

I think this is a great place to start, but not the way to fully decide. For example, dizziness or light headedness is above the neck, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend exercising while experiencing either one. An achy, painful, and stiff body is below the neck, but might really benefit from a good slow yoga flow or stretch.

Knowing your body and understanding what it is telling you is pretty crucial to deciding well. Try choosing a lighter workout than you normally would and then reevaluate. Ellen Breeding, an exercise physiologist, told Women’sHealth, that when starting to feel sick follow this simple rule when you exercise…

“Check in with yourself 10 minutes after starting your workout. If you feel fine, then carry on. But if you don’t feel great, then wrap it up.”

I love this, because it is based on your body specifically, not somebody else’s list of rules or recommendations. Each of our body’s respond differently to sickness and stress. Learning to understand your body takes time and effort but it is so worth it! The more you listen, the better choices you can make and that works whether or not you are sick!

 

 

 

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Should I Eat Before I Workout?

This question has been asked over and over and many times the answer is different. It has even been different at different times in my own health and fitness journey. Why? The quick answer is that this depends on you. Just as our goals change throughout our journey, so does the way we approach our fitness regimen.

 

Fasted Cardio

This is the concept that you perform a high intensity cardio workout after fasting, so not eating for an extended period of time. Typically this is an early morning workout completed prior to any consumption of food. It aids in quick fat loss and is good for those people with an excess of weight to lose or those trying to significantly lean out for some sort of competition or transformation goal.

I actually have lived for a long time doing this type of workout. I found that it was really important to have had a good solid meal chuck full of protein the night before though. If I hadn’t fueled well the night before my workout would tend to be lack luster and I even bonked! The intensity of your workout matters with this too. As I started doing higher level cardio work, like Insanity and Asylum, I found that I need something small to eat to keep my body functioning well.

 

Nutrient Timing

This is a fancy way of saying that you should plan when and what you eat around a special schedule designed for your goals. It has a bit of controversy surrounding it due to lack of true “evidence” to support the theory. Basically it says that you have a specific time frame prior to and after your workout in which your body is greedy and absorbs nutrients efficiently to support your specific goal. It has been popular with elite athletes, endurance athletes, and fitness/bodybuilding competitors.

 

But what about those of us who are just trying to make healthier choices, move our bodies more, and generally improve our health and fitness? The good news is that we’re all different! J So, there is no simple one shot answer. I hope you are starting to see that our health and fitness journeys are personal and specific to our own bodies. While that makes it a tad difficult to give out a basic statement about eating before working out, it also gives you a lot of freedom. If your body feels like it needs more fuel when you workout first thing in the morning, then eat about an hour before you do. If your body works really well, and the thought of eating before a workout makes you slightly nauseous, then I would avoid it and make sure to eat well after! Experiment with what and when you eat and see how your body responds the best, then choose that way of eating.

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5 Steps to Being Healthier This Week

 

Eat at home more than “out”

Cooking your own food has great advantages. First, you actually KNOW what you put into the dish. You have complete control of the ingredients from beginning to end. There are no hidden calories or unknown sodium content. You can also choose a healthier cooking method! Instead of frying your meat you can grill it. The added vitamin D soak while in the sun is just a bonus!

Plan a menu using whole foods

This fits in with the first step. Choose whole foods, meaning the ones that actually look like a food and hasn’t been processed and packaged in a box. There is always some controversy and discussion about organic verses “traditional” farming. I’m not even getting that far here, just choosing a whole food instead of processed yuck/yum is a step in the right direction.

Ditch the Pop

This video was the catalyst to getting rid of my diet Dr. Pepper habit. It took some time, but I can tell you the advantages of leaving pop behind all add up to feeling and being healthier! I’ve seen people drop an immense amount of weight just by giving this sugary beverage up.

Move Your Body More

Even if you exercise regularly you can do this simple step. Take the stairs when you have a choice, park further away from the entrance to work or the store, or add an additional day of exercise. If you are a busy parent, play with your kids. Have a spontaneous dance party or play tag and you be “it.” The kids will love it and you’ll increase your heart rate in a fun way!

Eat Breakfast!

Ever wonder why we call our first meal breakfast? It actually means “break” the “fast.” Your body hasn’t eaten in a long time and it’s sleepy. Breaking the fast jump starts your body’s system, introducing vital nutrients and FUEL into your metabolism. It actually tells your body it’s time to get to work. If that isn’t enough to convince you research has consistently shown that people who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off, eat breakfast regularly. Chalene Johnson, in her book PUSH, says “Eighty percent of those who have been able to maintain a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for at least a year report that they always eat breakfast.”

 

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Did Someone Say Road Trip?

Healthy-Road-Trip-Tips
Image Credit: NMEDA

Beaches, amusement parks, and hotels, OH MY! Lately, I’ve had lots of questions about how to eat when you are not at home. This can be tricky but there are always options if you are willing to plan ahead and do the work.

First, you’re going to need a good cooler. You’ll need to be able to put enough food into it for the duration of your vacation. You’ll want to pack it as tight as possible to help keep food cold. You can even freeze some of the food to act as natural ice packs.

Next, create a menu for your time. Remember to include snacks. I typically try to book a hotel that provides a free breakfast so I don’t need to address that for everyone. Most hotels have a microwave available in the lobby or “breakfast/kitchen” area. I also plan for at least one “splurge” meal or a meal eaten out at a restaurant. This not only helps with staying on track health wise but is great for the budget too!

In creating your menu try to pick foods that travel well and can be eaten warm or cold if needed. I normally make a large batch of chicken and a large batch of ground meat flavored for tacos, both packed into large plastic microwave safe tubs. Tortillas can be laid flat in a bag or cooler and you don’t have to worry about squishing them like regular bread. Rice or quinoa can be cooked ahead and packed the same way as the meat. I also love to take my black bean sweet potato mix to add to meat or salad. I hope you see a pattern here. I do a lot of meal prep for the week and I just basically transfer that meal prep into things that can be packed and stacked into the cooler.

Veggies like carrots and celery can be peeled and cut into sticks, placed in sealed tubs with water and will keep crispy for about five days. Look for fruit that you can either cut up or doesn’t bruise easily. We always end up taking bananas, they get eaten so quickly they don’t have time to bruise though. A word of warning though, as much as I have tried to take hardboiled eggs with us, they ALWAYS make the whole cooler stink. If you absolutely want to take them, I recommend packing them in an entire different cooler, all by themselves.

Don’t forget to pack plates and silverware!