It sounds counterintuitive, but light exercise can help your head cold to clear up more quickly. According to an article on abc News, there are many kinds of exercises that could help you get over that cold more quickly. They include:
There are a few exercises, however, that you should avoid while you are sick. Those include:
Read the whole article here: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/best-worst-exercises-cold/story?id=20534681#
- Walking. Walking can encourage you to breathe more deeply, opening up your nasal passages and sinuses.
- Jogging. As long as you are a regular jogger, a cold shouldn't get in the way of your exercise.
- Qi Gong. This Chinese practice of slow, steady movements to align breath, movement and awareness has recently been studied to determine if it has immunity-boosting powers.
- Yoga. Similar to Qi Gong, the research indicates that stress relieving techniques can help to boost immunity.
- Dance. Light dancing is a sure fire way to relieve stress and get the blood moving throughout your body.
There are a few exercises, however, that you should avoid while you are sick. Those include:
- Endurance running. "A 2007 study published in the Journal of Applied Sciences, for example, reported that immune function may be compromised for up to 24 hours after prolonged, continuous exercise (1.5 hours or longer)."
- Machine strength training. The purpose of exercise when you are sick is to raise your heartbeat and get your blood pumping a little. Overtaxing your body with something like strength training will only make it more difficult for your body to fight infection.
- Team sports. Cold germs spread through sweat, saliva or hand contact, so it's best to not play a team sport while you're sick. Your teammates will thank you for not sharing your cold with them.
- Anything out in the cold air. Cold air can dry and irritate your passageways, making it more difficult to breathe, and possibly causing a runny nose or coughing.
Read the whole article here: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/best-worst-exercises-cold/story?id=20534681#