ok to exercise when sick?

[BananaMan]

getting mixed answers on this... some say go exercise, others say conserve energy.

[Shadow Dragon]

I would say it depends on your condition and what you want to exercise.

Rule here for me is, not to waste precious energy that your body needs for healing..

So if I feel weak, I won't go for weights, but I might do some Qi-Gong or similar.

Either way you should exercise, but stop the minute it becomes a burden or you, in short don't force anything.

Just my little 0.2 (insert currency) worth of thought,

[FERAL INSTINCCT]

I agree with Shadow Dragon.

The key here is Qi-Gong breathing.

Most illnesses have to go through a period of time b4 it gets too weak to do any more harm to the body.

By utilizing Qi-Gong breathing your matabolizm will speed up which in turn will progress the illness into it's last stages of attack.

I always thought of it this way. Qi-Gong literally burns up the illness like a flame does to a wick.

I also agree with Shadow Dragon about trusting what your body is telling you. You will just know what is right or wrong for the situation by the bodies reaction to the movement used while ill.

[Sleemie]

Listen to your body, don't over exert yourself and do Qigong. You should know your body and know if you're really straining to work out or if the workout is energizing you and making you feel better. If you're like me, you probably don't want to not do anything at all because you feel guilty or disconnected from your art, so maybe you can walk through your forms, do some stretching, do some mental work, like practicing your techniques slow with no power, just focus on the technique.

[Kay k]

It depends on HOW ill you are. i personally wouldn't exercise whilst feeling ill. I'd say for the day or so you feel sick just rest, conserve energy and... erm...eat ice cream! :) x (but not too much)! :)

[dezhen2001]

Ice cream is the BEST cure :D
personally i would conserve energy, but still be a little active (up and about),

hope u feel better,
david

[BananaMan]

hehe, i already knew about the old ice cream cure ^^. went thru 3 pints already =0

[yu shan]

Good advice FI, scale things back, internal is a good thing. Time to see an herbalist, this is all short term. Sometimes the body needs a rest...read.

[anerlich]

good replies given.

Also, stay the hell away from your school so you don't infect your classmates.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

"do some mental work, like practicing your techniques slow with no power, just focus on the technique."

if you do that right it's nearly as physically taxing as going full speed. you also learn more.

[Rory]

Well either way I would think would be bad for you. If you do external exercising you will most likely make you very warm and it will bring down you immune system thats why its if recomened to drink antioxidents after excersising. And acording to Chinese medicine the reason you get sick is because you have a Chi blockage so I would think that the Chi Gong would just spread it around. But what I would do is drink plenty of water light food and sleep alot that would probaly let you heal faster so you can get back to training.

[TaoBoy]

If you do external exercising you will most likely make you very warm and it will bring down you immune system

Exercise won't necesarily injure the immune system. In fact, some exercises - such as Qigong - will actually help the immune system. Even when you are already ill.


And acording to Chinese medicine the reason you get sick is because you have a Chi blockage so I would think that the Chi Gong would just spread it around.

Not quite accurate. In TCM, we talk of many causes for disease. There can be Qi blockage or excessive heat or invasion of pathogenic Qi to name a few. Taiji or Qigong will generally help to promote health in the body. So, exercising gently when ill can help. This - of course - depends upon the type of illness. For example, if you have a fever Taiji can be used to cause light sweating, this draws the heat out of the body. If you just suffered a mild heart attack, it's obviously better to rest.


But what I would do is drink plenty of water light food and sleep alot that would probaly let you heal faster so you can get back to training.

Abolutely correct. The most important thing is rest.

Don't over-exert yourself when you are sick. Listen to your body.

By practicing kung fu, taiji and qigong the immune system will be strenghtened and illness will occur less often. Also, you will recover more quickly.

[Mister Hansome]

I don't know, but my dad's motto against flus, colds and such has been, " sweet it off". He would just do sit-ups, push-ups, go swimming, sauna, hot tub... etc...

I don't know, but when i'm sick i just lie in bed and rest. I don't know how my dad gets up and going like that all the time when he's sick. But everyones body is a bit different, what might be benificial to him might be detrimental to me. So check up with a doctor to see what's best for YOU not for OTHERS...

By the way, my dad is in his 50's and his muscles scare the sh*t out of people in their 30's (TKD instructers got their asses kicked and they're way younger and should have an edge), and he looks like he's in his mid 30's to early 40's. I don't know if it's his workout but he used to do some martial arts (Vo Vi Nam Viet Vo Dao) and i don't know if the breathing excercises he does before his workout and after is qi-gong or what but hey you know, it seems to work for him...

Check with a doctor or something, everyones body is different to a degree and what's good for me might be detrimental to you!