A minor illness doesn’t have to halt your exercise regimen, according to experts

Editor’s note: Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor. “If you have a mild to moderate illness, you can continue to exercise, but you should do less than you normally do,” said family physician Dr. Bruce Barrett, a professor and vice chair for research in the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s just not worth the rewards, which are minimal.” In addition, heavy exercise done while experiencing a respiratory viral illness can lead to chronic fatigue and even exacerbate myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, according to a 2021 study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. “For those who don’t regularly exercise, if they start exercising two or three or four hours per week, it can reduce their chance of getting sick,” Barrett said. “Covid and flu shots work, but exercise prevents all respiratory infections.” The link between exercise and illness prevention and recovery may be one reason qigong is increasingly studied today.