You got sick. You got better. Now, how and when do you exercise after COVID? The symptoms can vary dramatically, but even mild cases will bring a training routine to a halt for a few days. After a period of inactivity, you lose strength and your aerobic condition dwindles, plus, in the case of COVID, your whole body will be beaten down from battling the infection. If you jump back into your routine, you may be doing more bad than good.
Getting back to your exercise routine after Covid – or an injury or any illness – requires some careful planning, certain amount of self-restraint to safely achieve optimal results, and more importantly, prevent serious negative outcomes. At first, you won’t be able to run as fast as usual or lift as much weight as before. With a bit of patience and determination, soon enough you’ll be back on track.
People who are active typically have a hard time being relegated to the couch, so it’s important to accept the situation and tame the mental agony that comes with a period of inactivity. Your return to exercise after Covid will require some work to overcome both physical and mental demands.
Patience will be your most important asset. Find the right headspace to bounce back because training at full speed again will take some time. Planning when to return to exercise after Covid depends on the severity of the symptoms. When you’re itching to get back to your exercise routine, it’s easy to jump back right where you left off. Any symptoms, however, are reason enough to hold off and avoid training hard.
If you have mild symptoms, wait for a few days after all symptoms have resolved before resuming exercise. Overtaxing your body while you have an active viral infection or right after illness is risky and could lead to additional complications including myocarditis, an infection of the heart.
For elite athletes, it might take two or three weeks to return to their previous physical condition after they’ve run a fever over one and a half days. Such a setback demands fine-tuning and adjusting their training plans and goals. You should do the same.
Before you got ill with Covid, you had goals. Maybe you planned to run a 10k or simply you wanted to stick with the yoga course you started this year. Now, when you’re returning to training after Covid-19, your body is weaker, you feel sluggish, or is difficult to keep the habit. Re-evaluate your goals. If you missed a race, sign up for a new one.
On the first day you start exercising after Covid, go for a brisk walk, maybe no longer than 20 or 30 minutes and keep your heart rate in zone 1. How does this stroll feel? A walk is good way to gauge whether you’re ready to resume exercising. You’d be surprised by how much a walk wears you down. It’s normal to feel tired and weaker than usual. Take the next day off and let your body go back to recovery mode. Just add some light stretching to keep your body active.
When you fall ill with a viral infection, your body becomes a battlefield in which white blood cells fight the virus. Like rubble after the battle, your muscles will be beaten down, weakened and unable to tolerate the pre-sick levels of effort. Your underused muscles will get sore a lot quicker. Use them too hard and you’ll risk a tear or a strain. That’s why it’s a good idea to focus on easy cardiovascular exercises first and save weightlifting and strength work for later. Swimming, elliptical, cycling, or easy runs are good options as you’re easing back in – avoid exercise that puts much stress on your muscles.
Read more at: https://www.polar.com/blog/how-when-exercise-after-covid