Happy, happy Friday, Burpees to Bubbly readers:) For the local Boston readers, how happy are you about the spring weather forecast for the next handful of days?! My birthday is a week from Sunday (eek! 28!) and I am praying that the weather holds up through then.
Ugh, so for those of you who have seen some tweets or Facebook posts, you’ll know I’ve been battling an awful cold this week. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t seem to catch a break with sicknesses this winter: Pneumonia, ear infection, stomach bug, and now this.
Let’s be honest, being sick is never fun, but in years past, it didn’t add as much stress as it does now that I have a teaching committment 5 times a week. I hate having to get subs because I want my members to have consistency and keep coming back for that. As a former avid-class goer, I would seek out the best classes and hardest instructors, so when they were out, I was always skeptical of the subs. Granted, I was pleasantly surprised by some subs, but more often than not they were nothing in comparison to the actual instructor- anyone else feel this way?
(UXF group- I’d be so sad to miss this!)
I know I talk to my mom about this all the time. She goes to a “Party Boot Camp” on Tuesdays and loves the instructor (Hi, Jackie!!), so when Jackie it out, my mom is always bummed because she goes to the class because she loves dance parties.
So, what I am trying to say, is that even though I felt awful and could barely breathe while I was working out (and, had to cough and blow my nose throughout! sorry, everyone:( ), I pushed through it and taught. I am not saying that was the best idea, but since I felt ok physically (meaning, I wasn’t glued to the couch), I figured it’s better for me to be there then to not be there.
(Post double… totally beat!)
My question, though, is when is it too much? When is it better to rest rather than push through it and “sweat it out”? I am one to always push through things (I get this from my mom), but whenever I have a stomach issue, I generally take time off from the gym. With most sicknesses, my appetite usually remains unaffected (except for pneumonia… didn’t eat for days with that), but when I am sick to my stomach, I don’t eat, so therefore wouldn’t have the energy to work out.
With a cold, I usually suck it up and push through it as best as I can. Even though I didn’t have great energy as I was teaching (don’t worry, I was still able to yell! 😉 ), physically I felt ok enough to be there. I took it easy on myself and only did about 75% of the class, which was probably a good idea. Stuffy nose+cough+tight chest makes it hard to workout AND instruct.
I want to hear from you, though. When you’re sick, do you push through it or do you take some time to rest?
Burpees to Bubbly 
I typically rest as I’d rather rest for a day and get better than stress my body and be sick for longer. Although it’s always a touch decision!
Momma Gags is so much fun- love reading about her!
It is a tough decision! Momma Gags is the absolute best:) I told her she is the hit of my blog!
Hey Mo! Great post! As someone who has trained for various competitions, I have always followed the rule that says “a healthy is better than five junk miles”. In other words, giving your body rest and time to recover is just as important as working out!
Thanks, Jon! I’m always so much better at giving that advice than taking it myself:)
If it’s just a cold and no fever, I always try to get the workout in… Many times I feel even better right after. Usually I am not as strong so I try to more reps and less weight…. This Mama Gags person seems very interesting…. 🙂
more reps and less weight- totally agree! Mama Gags is the best!
Usually, I am an all-or-nothing type of person. So if I’m feeling real crummy and am breathing like a pug up a flight of stairs, definitely going to stay in and recover with lots of water, tea, and soup! If the cold or sickness is even slightly forgivable I find that working through it makes me feel better. I can understand the difference for an instructor though, and definitely appreciate your commitment, but if you need to let your body rest don’t hesitate! Your fans will be that much more excited for when you are back!
P.S. been out for a couple weeks: 1 missed Fri session because fam was in town and second Fri for being sick! So please excuse what may seem like I’m half-assing tonight’s workout, trying to regain that muscle 😀
Haha pug up a flight of stairs. that is hilarious! Aww, thanks for the nice words. I know that, but it still makes me sad to miss classes!
You did great last week, btw:)
Thanks for the shout out!!! I feel the same way as you- I will sit it out if I have a stomach thing going on but if its a cold I will just warn the class that I’m just not going to push MYSELF as hard as usual and to please work harder or faster than me if they feel they need to be more challenged. And same as you I walk around instructing more than doing a full set (obviously still demoing). Tell your mom we missed her this week! ❤
Right- that is totally what I say, too, but it’s hard because sometimes I feel like the class still mimmicks me, which I feel badly about! Aw, she loves your class but is dealing with a back issue so she is trying to tone it down a little.
I say you’re the best judge! If you feel like your energy levels are high enough, a light workout could help with a cold to clear your sinuses, etc. However, the last time I worked out with a sore throat I got much sicker, so now if my sickness involves a sore throat, I sit that day out! Feel better love!
Haha you poor thing! But yes, I agree, although sometimes it’s hard to tell! Thanks!
I absolutely never miss the gym unless I’m in dire pain. That said, it isn’t always the best choice, and it also is not healthy practice. I do have to say that I am much better at giving advice than taking it. While we were doing kickboxing and you had to stop and get your inhaler, I felt so bad and just wanted to go over and send you home to bed! At the same time, I also hate when an instructor is out UNLESS I know in advance. I get that sometimes people are out, but it does stink because i follow people around, and often subs are not as intense. I hope that you are feeling better now though!!
yeah, do you EVER take a rest day from the gym??? I really try to give myself at least 1 a week, it’s good for you! I, too, am better at giving my advice than taking it, but I am trying to be better at that. Ugh, I was dying during that class:( I’m still not great, but feeling better!
I rest on Tuesdays because I teach in the morning and then rush from downtown to Oak Square to get to my full time job (in an hour…it’s so stressful) and then I work until 9. Teaching is like exercise sometimes! Chasing around children ages 3 months (well, they don’t move…but don’t give me a chance to sit either) to 5.5 years is quite the task! On Fridays when I teach all day, I’m beat! Sometimes if I’m really not feeling well I’ll get to the gym and take it easy, but then I feel bad when I realize that I didn’t work as hard as I usually do. Does that ever happen to you, like when you feel sick and know you can’t work as hard as normal? How do you deal with it, like what do you tell yourself?
ha, so basically you don’t rest:) ummm, sometimes I just get frustrated, more than anything. In instances like that, I remind myself that it would’ve been better to rest. It’s hard- i go from “you never regret a workout” which helps for cases like that (something is better than nothing) to feeling annoyed that I am not up to my normal strength, so for those days, i’d rather just not workout so I don’t end up beating myself up about a bad workout. I’ve gotten SO MUCH BETTER about this, though. I take rest when I need or want it and try to look at everything as an accomplishment rather than feeling bad about not being the best. I’t sbeen hard, but I have such a better outlook about my workouts and appreciation for my body now!
gosh I feel like this is always such a tough call. I know a lot of times if I get moving I truly end up feeling better. So I think for me it’s usually if I have been run down or feeling sick for multiple days then I will pull back for complete rest then start with easy workouts for a few days.
I agree for sure!