There are many schools of thought that say that exercising and sweating is the best for a disease. The idea behind it is to sweat out whatever infection is making you sick. However, if your immune system is already struggling, is it really safe to exercise with some sort of infection? I’ll go over the ins and outs of exercising with a sinus infection or other ailments.
Sometimes when you’re at the end of a cold or something, working out can be a really good thing. Allowing the body to sweat out the rest of the cold can be very helpful. However, that’s only the case if you’re not lifting heavy weights and just doing some light cardio. Maybe ride a bike or go for a brisk walk.
The problem with lifting heavy weights or even weight lifting with a sinus infection is this… Our body’s immune system is already stressed and working over time to help us with sinus infection . When we lift heavy weights, we are actually creating small tears in the muscle. This is how we build muscle. Building muscle is a good thing! But, not while we’re sick. If we lift weights and tear the muscle, our immune system is busy healing those little tears. That means our immune systems are really put to the test when we have an infection, and then, adding weight lifting on top of it, our recovery from both sinus infection and muscle tears is poor. It is better to have a good recovery. Therefore, I do not recommend heavy weight lifting or strenuous exercise during a sinus infection.
However, someone recovering from cancer or other serious illnesses may benefit from a new exercise routine. Always consult your doctor before starting anything new. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend diving into a hard and strenuous exercise, but starting slow and easy would be a good thing. Once your doctor has cleared you to exercise, you can contact your local personal trainer to find out where to start.
Again, if you are on the tail end of a cold or sinus infection, some light exercise could be beneficial. Be sure to drink plenty of fresh water to help flush out your system of any problems you may have. Exercise is like any other science, and new benefits are always being discovered. Be sure to read up and educate yourself when it comes to your own personal health.