Deciding whether to stick to your training plan when under the weather will always be a personal choice that involves considering the severity of the illness and the likely outcome. In most cases, a few skipped sessions won’t have any adverse bearing on your health and fitness however it is certainly possible to set your recovery efforts back and worsen your immediate position. The choice isn’t black and white however, the shades of grey exist in the option to lighten your loads, shorten your sessions or just view the workout as a mental break via a change of scenery.  

There’s often not much positivity to be found in illness but if we had to choose an upside it would be the perspective shift we gain from recovering and feeling ‘better’. This often comes with a brief but potent appreciation for our typical state in which we are liberated from illness meaning we can return to training full bore!... Or does it? 

Caution should be taken when returning to the usual undertakings and we should first consider what the recovery efforts have cost. Illness comes in many varieties, but each individual case likely drains the body in some capacity. The body spends resources combating the illness so even when the symptoms have cleared, some level of debt may be outstanding.  

If sleep has been affected, then it would be fair to say that energy levels will take a few solid nights to return to baseline. Poor sleep for any reason has the capacity to hinder physical and mental performance and can result in slower recovery and an increased risk of injury.  

Consider also that nutritional habits are often affected by illness. If intake has been lower than usual then like with sleep, it will take a few days of typical feeding to restore the glycogen stores required to fuel efforts. It’s common to feel physically weaker when returning to exercise following an illness and it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that this is due to time off. In truth, unless the layoff was particularly lengthy, it’s unlikely that any real performance decline has occurred. It would be wise however to consider feeling out the first few sessions back while maintaining the nutritional intake that was typical before the illness, this performance will likely return quickly as the fuel needs are met however trying to force the body to do 0-100, day 1 will greatly increase the risk of injury. 

The final consideration is the hydration levels of the body post illness. In situations where an illness has resulted in sickness and/or diarrhoea, precious electrolytes have undoubtably been lost. It’s good practice that during and following bouts of illness, efforts are made to replenish these electrolytes and restore the balance. This can be done via a return to a varied and balanced diet but can be aided with electrolyte drinks or tablets that may be easier to stomach if the appetite isn’t quite back to normal. Small decreases in hydration can have sizeable effects on performance and dehydrated muscles can be susceptible to cramp and have a higher risk of pulling or tearing. 

It's common when returning from an illness to be lulled into a false sense of security, believing that because the symptoms have subsided that the body is primed to return to its previous training demands. It remains good practice however to consider the severity of the illness, the stressors that were placed on the body during recovery and the debt that may be owed back in the way of sleep, fuel and hydration. Injury risk can be mitigated at this time by first ensuring these needs are met and by easing back into the higher training demands of before when the time is right.