This post is not intended as medical advice. It does contain common sense ideas for getting back on track with your diet and exercise. As usual, the suggestions are from reputable sources with footnotes provided. Check in with your medical provider if you are feeling sick or have sustained an injury.
How to stay on track when you’re sidelined? When you get sick or injured – and this is inevitable – what can you do to get back on course? When should you return to your exercise program? How can you recover faster?
So many questions – and lots of answers too. Let’s start by dividing this into two categories, diet and exercise. Read below for ideas, but be cautious with your health!
The right choices for you may depend on whether you’re recovering from an illness or an injury, as well as the severity of your health issue. Is this a short term inconvenience like a cold, or a chronic concern like arthritis? It is always best to check with your healthcare provider before you make any changes in your diet or exercise plans.
Dietary Helps
It can be difficult to stay on track with your eating when you don’t feel well. It is so easy to turn to comfort or fast foods at a time like this! Although that may not pose a problem for a brief time, try to get back to healthy eating as soon as you are able. Here are some ideas that may help:
- Consider having healthy foods or groceries delivered to your door if you aren’t feeling well enough to take on shopping and cooking.
- Order convenience foods like pre-chopped fruits and veggies. Rotisserie chicken does contain a lot of added sodium, but you can cut fats and salt by discarding the skin.
- Many grocery stores and delis have great salads and soups that can work well for you. Try to avoid cream based soups and heavy dressings.
- Leafy greens are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals that are known to have anti inflammatory and immune supportive properties (1). Most fruits and vegetables can help in this same way.
- Eggs and other healthy protein sources can help to heal your body after surgery (1).
- Drink plenty of fluids when you are sick. This is also important for wound healing (1).
- If you find that you’re gaining weight, try to slightly reduce portion size. It’s easier to gain weight when you become inactive due to illness or injury.
- If you’re losing (unintentionally), try eating more often and check in with your doctor (2). Unintentional weight loss can be concerning.
- Look for foods fortified with vitamin D or get some extra morning sun exposure. “Vitamin D is not naturally found in many foods, but it’s important to the immune system” (3).
For more on the healthy effects of morning sun, take a look at this post: https://lindawbrowning.com/2023/02/03/self-care-sunlight/
Exercise Helps
Let’s start off by recognizing that rest and sleep are so important to your recovery! It can be difficult to sleep when you have uncomfortable symptoms, but it can help bolster your immune system and repair processes (1).
Don’t overdo exercise during your illness or recovery. You need time to heal!
- Ease back slowly into exercise. Your energy level won’t be as high right now (4). A little light cardio is a good starting point (5).
- If you are running a fever, do not exercise. Your energy is needed by your immune system at this time to fight your infection (5).
- It’s recommended that a reduction in your exercise program should last 2-3 days for every day of sickness (6). So if you were sick for 3 days, ease up on your workout for 6-9 days.
- Working out “too hard and fast only sets you up for injury and could compromise your immune system enough to make you sick again” (7).
- If your illness or injury has kept you off your feet for a long period, be particularly patient with your now weakened body. “Your underused muscles will get sore a lot quicker than you think, and if you work them too hard, you’ll risk a strain, sprain, or tear” (8).
- Pay attention to your body’s signals. If you feel fatigued the day after a workout, take things easier next time (8).
- Try a different activity – cross-training can help prevent further injuries (9).
Let’s remember that this is the journey of a lifetime, so we can’t let these problems derail us long term. Do the best you can to recover but don’t stress – progress over perfection!
(1). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-that-help-you-heal
(4). https://blog.fitbit.com/bounce-back-post-illness/
(5). https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/how-to-exercise-after-being-sick
(6). https://www.livestrong.com/article/504794-getting-back-to-the-gym-after-being-sick/
(8). https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/bounce-back-faster-exercising-after-youre-sick/amp/
Maintain Weight Loss 
When you’re sidelined and feeling sick, it’s easy to turn to comfort foods and fast drinks. But this can hurt your body and cause you to gain weight. Try to eat healthy foods or groceries delivered to your door when you’re feeling well, and order convenience foods like pre-chopped fruits and vegetables. Try to exercise slowly and lightly. If you’re having trouble sleeping, drink plenty of fluids and try different activities. Remember that this is the journey of a lifetime, so don’t let these problems derail us long-term.
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That’s a good summary of my post.
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