What's your "sickness threshold" for not going to the gym?
 

Hey everyone,

I joined one of those 24-hour gyms, and I absolutely love it. I've seems some great improvements in myself over the past few months. Not only am I getting more fit, I've not had a backache in months. It's awesome to live pain free! What a blessing it's been.

Although I got on a great roll with it, I cracked my big toe really badly a couple of weeks ago. That knocked me out of going to the gym for a week. As I was just getting other that, I got sick last week. I was basically dizzy for three days straight, and now I'm coughing (I'm pretty sure it's allergies; my ears were a little stopped up). So far, it's knocked me out of going to the gym for about a week as well. I really miss it, but I'm thinking of going back today because what I have is not contagious. I probably won't lift weights as heavy as I normally do, but I'm going to do my best to get back on it today.

How about you? Is there a certain pain/sickness threshold that you adhere to whenever making a decision to go to the gym?

I used to just about be on my death bed to not go, but I'm more mellow about it now. You risk further injury or sickness if your body isn't up to snuff. I think you'd be better off in the long run to wait it out unless you just do a real light workout, maybe a slow ride on a stationary bike if your toe is messed up still.

My toe is doing great right now, but I still have a cough. It's not nearly as bad as it was.

Not directed at you since you say what you have is allergies and not contagious, but I can tell you the least popular guy or gal at the gym is the person who comes in there sick and sweating and germing all over the equipment like the other members want some of what they have too..... If you're sick, stay home. Do not go to the gym, do not go to work, quit spreading your funk around everyone else.

I have certain rules I abide by. The gym I go to is a pool. (The rest of what I do doesn't involve gyms).
- No swim workouts with a cold, never mind the flu.
- In case of injury, like a sprain or pull, I still like to get a swim in if the injury allows it. Sometimes it can even help. (I think it's from the stretching).

Over the years I've learned that going to the gym sick is at best counter-productive, and at worst can just make you plain sicker. It's also inconsiderate to others.
Stay home, heal yourself, play your guitar. There are many other options.

This May makes it 4 years since I've had any kind of cold or flu. I hope to keep the streak going as long as I can! :)

If I am coughing up a lung or running a fever, I figure it’s just as harmful to everyone else if I go to the gym to work out. The first few days after a bone-strengthening treatment, if I feel “flu-y” or are running a temp, I stay home. If I have thrown out my back and can’t move, I don’t go. If I have done something stupid to a muscle or tendon or such, I consult my health system’s ortho/sportsmedicine clinic and see what they say—often, they’ll tell me to go and what to tell my trainer to work on. If I have a cut or other wound, bandaged or not, I stay out of the pool (those are the rules anyway).

When I had a near-fainting spell after the last set of my workout (and my trainer had me lie down), I asked my primary care doc—and he said to keep working out, drink more water, but pay attention to any symptoms and stop should it happen again. When I banged my shin on a sharp corner of a footlocker and it was still not clotting after a training session despite being bandaged, I skipped cardio and went to urgent care—the doc there told me to skip the next day or two until it securely scabbed over, and put my leg up for the rest of the evening. Back to the gym tomorrow.

Basically, when in doubt, ask your doctor. If (s)he says go to the gym, go to the gym. If the advice is to stay home, I ask if a home workout (stationary bike, hand weights, bands) is okay. If the answer is “rest,” I rest.

If I have any virus or bacteria infection, I stay home. Learned the hard way. Injuries won't stop me, there is always a way to work around it.

I figure that if I'm well enough to get out of bed in the morning, I can skip the gym that day.