If you are sick as a dog, stay home!

I received a call from one of my riders the other day telling me he wasn't feeling well and was wondering if he should train or take the day off. It's an age-old question that has plagued athletes for many years: Should I continue to train while I am sick? I have always erred on the safe side recommending that my athletes stay at home and rest until they are feeling better. But is that what the latest research supports? Surprisingly, there is very little research on the topic and most credible websites (WebMD, Mayo Clinic, etc.) say the same thing. I did find one research study that was done in 1998 at Ball State University that addresses the question directly. As it turns out, I may have to start rethinking my advice.

Word From the Mayo Clinic
According to the Mayo Clinic's website:

Surprising Research
A study published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, which was directed by Thomas G. Weidner, Ph.D., director of athletic training programs at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana set out to answer the questions, 'Should you exercise when you are sick, does exercise worsen your symptoms, and what are the effects on athletic performance?' In this study, he infected 34 young men and women with a rhinovirus, then randomly assigned them to a group that would exercise or not. When all the data was in, Weidner found no difference in symptoms between the group that exercised and the one that rested. And there was no difference in the time it took to recover from the colds. But when the exercisers assessed their own symptoms, they were more likely than non-exercisers to believe that they felt better.

The researchers also reported that having a cold had no effect on either lung function or exercise capacity. That's right, having a cold does not have a real effect on your exercise ability. You may feel sick but your body is still capable of doing what it usually does. Good news if you get sick just before a big race.

Moderate to severe allergies are another situation that can make training difficult. To make matters worse, most allergy meds have the side effect of fatigue (sometimes severe).

Proceed With Caution

If you have asthma and a cold, make sure you talk with your doctor before you ride or exercise. If your asthma symptoms are worse with a cold, you'll need to use caution. Exercising with a cold and asthma may cause increased respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may require you to use more asthma medications to open your airways. Overuse of asthma medications can also cause your heart rate to increase.

Can Exercise Reduce Your Risk of Catching a Cold?
While moderate training has shown to reduce your risk of catching a cold make sure you take time for rest and recovery after periods of intensive training. Your immune system fights most effectively when it isn't stressed. Research confirms that a moderate exercise program may increase immunity and your resistance to respiratory infections. But scientists also note that athletes who train rigorously without recovery are more susceptible to viral infections like colds or flu. Coach Seiji said it well in this article.

While immunity is boosted when you work out moderately, the opposite may be true for elite or high-performance athletes such as motocross athletes who push their physical limits with intense training without sufficient recovery. For example, there's evidence of suppressed immunity during times of prolonged and intense exercise training with an increased number of upper respiratory tract infections. When workouts become stressful or excessive, there can be decreased amounts of white blood cells circulating throughout your body and increased amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which may inhibit the ability of certain immune cells to work properly.

Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that all of this research was conducted with the common cold. Do NOT assume that this means exercise is a good thing regardless of how sick you are. I don't want to see people at the gym killing themselves on the treadmill while sick with the flu or strep throat. I'm glad I did some research and found that it's okay to exercise with some illnesses. Now I just need to call my rider back and tell him to meet me at the gym....today is still a training day!

That's it for now, until next time, good luck with your training and remember, if you have a question, log on to the Virtual Trainer Expert Forum and have your question answered by a panel of experts. In addition, be sure and check out the Racer X Virtual Trainer archive section. Your complete one-stop information zone for motocross fitness.