Having the misfortune to get sick and interrupt your training routine is one of the common bumps on the road to your target lifestyle.
Season changes, air conditioning, rain, cold and other factors can get you some level of limitations to your workout routine.
When I get sick, I get quite upset. I think about all the effort I’ve made to reach my level of training, and now I will have to take a forced break that will make me lose part of my gains.
The body will need energy to fight the sickness or to repair damaged tissues and will use all the necessary sources for your recovery.
However, there are few things that will be on your side. The more you have previously trained, the faster your physical condition will get better.
Training make your body stronger and more resistant but just for the simple principle of “Use it or lose it” your muscles and aerobic resistance will diminish during prolonged rest times.
Is not uncommon to see a limb totally shrunk after the cast is removed right? In that case physical therapy sessions is highly recommended!
But let’s talk about easy sickness. That kind that may keep you in bed for 1 or 2 days but the doctor fills you up with medications for 1 or 2 weeks and your energy level goes to ZERO. Workout is the last thing passing in your mind between dizziness and sneezes, in any case you wouldn’t even have the energy to perform the whole routine you used to do just few days earlier.
So, what can you do? When is my training day I got more sad because I think I’m supposed to workout but I know I can’t. My body is already busy fighting an internal war, I can’t give him more stuff to do like..repairing ripped muscle fibers! There is just no “fuel” enough for this!
Considering that you need rest to recover you should REST first. One thing you can wisely do is to control your nutrition to help your body to get the right material to work with the recovery process. Remember, the body is a chemical composition.
The most important thing for me is: DRINK WATER!!! Your body is doing a tremendous job and water is the best replenisher you can give him to hydrate, supply minerals and eliminate waste.
Proteins from white meat and vegetables are preferred. Enjoy a warm soup and even if you don’t like boiled stuff you should learn that is the best for energy recovery. Boiled food and soups keep all the nutrients in their water and they are easier to digest, giving your stomach less energy spending duties.
Check your supplementation and adapt it to your situation. You’ll probably need to modify your intakes in order to get the right vitamins.
Stay mentally active! Read books, study and design your recovery training program to apply as soon as you feel better.
You can think about a very light workout set from time to time, just to don’t get bored but don’t push it!
Some little weight training set can make you mentally feel better with some positive attitude and will spark some reactions in yourself to help you to recover.
If you are under medications for a week you can’t start your normal routine the day after you finish the treatment. You’ve surely lost some of your gains. Give it a slow start with a reduced version of your normal session and add more time between sets.
Before going to sleep you can do some push ups and a good glass of milk to provide a slow protein intake during the night.
Day by day you have to measure your feelings and stop working out if you don’t feel 100% ok. Keep yourself monitored and have a talk with your doctor to see the progress of your body during your recovery.
Photo Credits:
“Allergy” licensed under CC0 Public Domain
“Legcast1” by This file is lacking author information. – Wikipedia (en). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
“Hungarian goulash soup” by Hu Totya – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
“Pilates 01” by J. Vílchez – Producciones ISED. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Showcase: Cropped 16:9 from “Dirty Hair” by chispita_666 on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.