Should we exercise when we are sick?

When it comes to the final quarter of the year，the cold season is coming.Though it is proved that it is the virus not the chilly weather that gives people cold,an undeniable fact is that there are more people having a cold in winter than other seasons.

There is no need for me to emphasize the importance and benefits of exercise.And doctors at the American Heart Association suggest getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week.

So when cold or sickness meets exercise,what should we do?Will physical activity make us feel better more quickly or will it delay the healing process?

Edward R.Laskowski,a doctor from Mayo Clinic advises that"mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a common cold."

Dr.Laskowski and other experts have a general rule of thumb about exercising when you are sick.

It is usually fine to exercise,he explains,if your symptoms are all"above the neck."

These signs may include a runny nose,nasal congestion,sneezing or a minor sore throat.

Laskowski adds that exercise may make you feel better by"opening your nasal passages."

This may temporarily reduce congestion and help you to breathe more easily.

However,he suggests taking a break from exercising if signs of your illness appear"below the neck."

Be on guard for symptoms such as chest congestion,extreme cough or pain in the stomach.

But there are other symptoms that can tell you to avoid exercise.They include:a higher than normal body temperature,a sense of feeling extremely tired,also known as fatigue,and widespread muscle pain.

每到年末，感冒季節也隨之而來。盡管已經證實是病毒而非寒冷天氣讓人感冒，但是一個無法反駁的現實是相較于其他季節，冬天患感冒的人數明顯增多。

鍛煉的重要性和益處不言而喻。美國心臟協會的醫生建議每周堅持不少于150分鐘的適度鍛煉。

那么，如果我們感冒或者患病，又想鍛煉怎么辦？體育鍛煉會讓我們好得更快還是會延誤恢復？

美國梅奧診所的醫生愛德華·R·拉斯科夫斯基建議，“如果只是普通感冒，輕度或中度的運動是可以的”。

拉斯科夫斯基博士及其他專家有一個不成文的“病時鍛煉”原則。他解釋說，如果癥狀在脖子以上，鍛煉通常沒有問題。

這些癥狀包括流鼻涕、鼻塞、打噴嚏及輕度嗓子疼。拉斯科夫斯基補充說，運動可以打開你的鼻子通道，讓你感覺更舒服。這樣做可以短暫減輕鼻塞，幫助你呼吸暢通。

他還建議，如果癥狀在脖子以下，你最好休息一段時間，比如胸悶、咳嗽得厲害或者胃痛，就要小心了。還有其他的一些癥狀，我們也要停止鍛煉，它們包括：發燒、極度疲勞以及大面積肌肉疼痛。

Notes：

undeniable 無法拒絕的；不可反駁的

moderate 適當的；適中的

nasal congestion 鼻塞

fatigue 極度疲勞。