The flu factor

BENGALURU : Exercising regularly helps you stay healthy and fit. It improves your immune system, which, in turn, helps you fight the flu and other illnesses. But if you are feeling some symptoms of flu, it’s best to avoid the regular high intensity exercises and choose just walking or easy cycling. Your white blood cells are known to fight infections and sometimes with too much exercise, these can reduce, doing you more harm than good.

If you’re running a fever, you should not work out. The energy needed by your immune system to fight off bacterial infections will be compromised if you exercise because the activity will utilise a lot of energy. You will be left feeling exhausted, with weaker immunity and a flu that lasts longer. Instead rest for two to four days and let your body recover.

Each person’s response to illness is variable. So after a flu, your first workout back should be light so you don’t get out of breath, and you want to progress slowly without having a relapse. It will be best to start with walking. Start with doing so around the house, try 6,000 steps and step it up the following days based on how your body feels.

If you experience any kind of exhaustion, choose to skip the next day. Then start with cardio. When you feel ready to take it up a notch, focus on cardio first and save strength work for later. Lastly, try to eat foods that can boost your immunity, and consume warm food.

Working it out
Low-intensity activities to take up in when you’re sick
Walking
Jogging
Cycling
Yoga
Activities to avoid
Heavy strength training
High intensity interval training
Sports
Stay out of the gym as flu is contagious

To skip or not to skip?
A guide to whether or not you should exercise is ‘the neck test’, says Dr Deepak Patel, principal clinical specialist at Discovery Vitality. If your symptoms are from the neck up, do low to moderate intensity exercise. If you feel exhausted after you’ve exercised, skip the next two to three days. If your symptoms are below the neck (a deep chest cough or a fever), take a break from exercise until your fever subsides. It’s best to stop exercising while you’re sick until about a week after recovering.

(The author is a fitness expert with Cure.Fit)