Dusting the sweatpants and donning some active clothes can be a daunting task in recovering from COVID-19.
Perhaps the Commonwealth Games or the rapidly approaching warmer weather have inspired you.
Here’s what you need to know when you start exercising again, whether it’s a simple park run or 80 minutes of football.
When can I start exercising again?
Well, it’s not black and white.
Initially, the Australasian College of Exercise Sports Physicians suggested seven to 10 days of rest when you first get the virus, then wait for symptoms to improve before starting very light exercise again.
But since then, following the illness and recovery of Tokyo Olympians, it has been established that too long strict or relative rest can lead to deconditioning and detraining, says sports physician Tracy Shang.
Dr Shang said it was a thin line.
“In other words, [you could experience] loss of muscle mass and may take longer to recover,” she said.
Although COVID affected athletes in the same way as the general population, the fitter you were before the infection and the sooner you gradually returned to light activity, the more likely you were to recover, Dr Shang said.
But you can’t jump to the extremes, and it’s hard for someone to make that decision for themselves.
We are not all Olympians.
The suggestion is to start exercising again in a light way when your symptoms have almost disappeared, but most importantly, listen to your body.
What exercise can I do?
If you have breathing problems, you certainly can’t do the high-end aerobic workouts, so don’t head out for a casual marathon, says power strength and conditioning coach Steve Nance.
He said you should work below your anaerobic threshold much of the time during a workout so you don’t put too much strain on your body.
If an infection has caused heart problems, especially high blood pressure, be careful with resistance training, such as lifting heavy weights, as it can raise your blood pressure.
Mr. Nance suggests working with common sense.
“You can’t just go back to what you were doing before.
“You have to be very, very careful from the start about trying to set your goals too high because you’re probably still a little sick.”
A simple walk, a short bike ride or a swim would be a great place to start.
What happens if I push too hard?
The reality is that if you push too hard with your workout in the beginning, it can take longer for the symptoms of COVID-19 to go away, Dr. Shang says.
Research from the University of Oxford, which studied 270,000 people who recovered from COVID-19, suggests that 10 to 20 percent of people still had at least one of the nine symptoms three months after infection.
“It’s not so much that it involves long-term COVID, but it’s more that your symptoms may just remain a problem,” said Dr. Shang.
So keep it calm.
What signals should I watch out for?
Some of the symptoms that people struggle with after an infection include difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, pain and fatigue.
The other thing with COVID is that it is an inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs.
Some serious red flags that practitioners look out for are lung and heart complications, which can occur in some people who have had COVID-19.
“You can get muscle inflammation of your heart, which can result in chest pain that only occurs when you exercise,” said Dr. Shang.
“This is something that needs to be monitored more carefully.”
If you have chest pain, or if you are an athlete who has trouble breathing, seek medical advice and guidance.
But if you don’t have those symptoms, just listen to your body and take the time to slowly rebuild your stamina, said Dr. Shang.
Is it more difficult to start exercising again if I have been infected twice?
Unfortunately, some people are still recovering when they become infected again.
It has not been shown that repeated infection is always milder, but vaccination and higher baseline fitness appear to reduce the risk of serious disease.
However, that was not the case for Toowoomba athlete Mia Bowen Osmond.
After her second infection, she was unable to exercise for three weeks.
“The first time was okay… but the second time I just didn’t get better for about three weeks, I couldn’t go to training or anything like that.
“I still don’t have my lung capacity.”
Is there anything I can do to help?
For symptomatic relief in initial COVID-19 illness, short-term use of paracetamol is advised.
Athletes or anyone experiencing common post-COVID symptoms should speak to their primary care physician or sports physician to help guide and monitor a safe return to sport.
Optimizing mental health support, sleep and good nutrition, combined with “pacing” and not overdoing it are the recommendations, said Dr. Shang.
If you have symptoms weeks after infection, you can talk to your GP about attending a long COVID clinic, which has been set up in many state hospitals.
I am nervous!
Uncertainty about how your body will respond to physical activity after a COVID infection is nerve-wracking, especially if you were in good shape before getting sick.
It can also be disappointing if you don’t feel unwell, but your stamina isn’t where it used to be.
“That can be a pretty frustrating process and can lead to a lowered mood or lower self-confidence,” said Dr. shang.
But we all know that the endorphins after exercise are worth it.
Loading form…