Run.
Stop.
When you are sick, it’s important to know which one of those two choices you should be doing.
For me, it started the second week of December. I was feeling a little tired so I went to bed early.
That tiredness was the only warning I had to the sore throat and incredible headache that followed. Since then, I’ve been battling a very persistent cold. It left my throat and crawled into my chest where it’s been hiding out ever since.
Run.
Stop.
So, how has this affected my jogging? Well, I’ve been frustrated, that’s for sure. Normally I jog 3 – 4 times a week. Since this cold, my jogging has been sporadic depending on how I’m feeling.
I’m frustrated that I’m not yet healthy. I’m a jogger! I ran a marathon in October! I should be bouncing back with energy and recovering much faster than this! What’s going on?
Run.
Stop.
Should I run with a cold? I’ll answer that in a minute.
First, I did some research to get some advice on running with a cold. This is what I learned:
- As a general rule, doctors, trainers and researchers suggest exercise is fine if your symptoms are above the neck: stuffy or runny nose, sore throat or sneezing. They suggest you don’t overdo it, being mindful of what your body is telling you. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
- If your symptoms are below the neck such as deep coughs, congested chest, wheezing, aching muscles, fatigue or upset stomach they strongly urge you NOT to exercise. If you exercise with these symptoms they say you risk compromising your immune system. It’s trying to bring you back to health and you are stressing it out by pushing your body when it is fighting off a bug. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. GIVE IT PLENTY OF REST, PROPER NUTRITION AND LOTS OF FLUIDS.
So where did I go wrong? I over did it. I pushed myself and jogged when I should have been resting. I took an entire week off and thought that was enough. Honestly, I was scared that if I left it longer, I’d lose my level of fitness. I also missed my endorphins! Because my performance was well below normal I pushed myself to try harder. My body was begging me to rest but my ego was so scared that I didn’t LISTEN.
Run.
STOP.
This is now going on four weeks. I’m not getting my regular dose of endorphins, my energy is really low and I’m feeling less than productive. That’s fertile ground for negativity to plant mean and fearful thoughts in my brain. I need to do the following:
HONOUR my body by LISTENING to my body.
RESPECT my body by allowing it time to HEAL.
NOURISH my body with plenty of fruits and vegetables and lots of SLEEP.
Be KIND and GENTLE with mySELF.
If you are sick, please pay careful attention to your body. Every body is different so just be mindful that you don’t push your way through exercise if your body is asking for a chance to heal. Learn from my mistake and make sure you LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and not ego or fear.
Run.
Wishing you a lovely, healthy and restful weekend.
With a smile,
Tina
