Working Out While You're Sick, Is It a Good Idea?

There's been a lot of different viewpoints on this topic for as long as I could remember. I know people that like to go the gym and workout when they're sick because they say they sweat out all the toxins and sickness pretty much, and they swear by it that it works! I on the other hand have tried working out before a couple of times when I was sick and it did nothing for me but make the problem worse as well as prolong it too.

Now there's a whole spectrum of different things a person could be "sick" with, some more severe than others, but they can range from a cold, to viral infection, bacterial infection, etc. and even a bad case of allergies can have a person feeling pretty crappy. Bottom line though in my opinion if you feel sick I urge you to stay home and rest, see your doctor find out what it is and see if he can't help you out. Even if you're feeling okay and strong enough to hit the gym I admire the dedication but you're only doing more harm than good and putting other gym goers at risk for catching whatever you have too; not cool! I know the feeling of wanting to workout so bad, especially when you've been making good progress, you don't want to stop, you don't want all your hard work to go to waste... I promise you though it won't! The sooner you go to the doctor, the more you rest, the faster you'll get better and be able to get back into the gym without loosing too much if any of your progress at all. Just because you're taking a break from the gym though doesn't mean your diet should too, keep eating the way you normally were, healthy, lean meats, healthy fats, slow burning carbs, a lot of veggies, throw in additional fruit, and plenty of water; and get lots of sleep 8-10 hours...

If you do everything right you should be able to get right back into the gym and into the groove of things right where you left off; you may even come to find that you're stronger from the break you took! For others it may take a couple of days to a week or two to get back into the groove depending on how sick you were, but after that you too will find that you have become a little stronger; just remember the body needs rest and breaks every now and then, listen to it! If you're going crazy though not doing anything, I'd say its okay to take a little walk outdoors to get some fresh air, but that's about it!

Feeling Run Down? Feel a Cold Coming On? Try This.

Need a quick boost of vitamin C? Get a lime/lemon or
two, cut into halves or quarters and squeeze as
much juice as you can into a shot glass

With an alarming number of clients coming in sick the past couple of weeks I thought I’d drop a little history lesson on you; as well as a little trick you can do to that may prevent you from getting sick when you’re feeling run down and tired. Maybe you've heard of the term “limey” before, it originated sometime in the early 19^th century and referred to British Sailors in the Royal Navy. Back then with the horrible living conditions, sickness, filth, poor diet, and an array of other things accompanied with sailing, one condition that many sailors got was Scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency.

 During long journeys beyond the time that fruits and vegetables could be stored they had to rely on foods lacking many important nutrients such as grains, and dried meats. The Royal Navy soon made lemon and lime juice apart of a sailor’s daily ration because they had good amounts of vitamin C which helped prevent Scurvy among other things. Eventually it was found out that lime juice, with its 29mg of vitamin C (35% daily value) wasn't as effective as lemon juice, with its 53mg (64% daily value) for preventing Scurvy, but the name “limey” stuck.

Vitamin C plays an important role in the human body including but not limited to protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling. It can even shorten the lengths of colds and limit their severity.

The name limey has since lost its connection with military sailors, but if you’re feeling adventurous, spontaneous, and you need a quick boost of vitamin C, here’s what you do… Simply get a lime/lemon or two, cut into halves or quarters and squeeze as much juice as you can into a shot glass and pound that baby down matey!