For most of this week, I’ve been suffering from some sort of non-specific malady. My appetite was almost gone, I’ve been hacking and coughing up chunky colorful phlegm, my entire body but especially hips back and chest have been aching, I’ve been terribly congested, and just generally have felt too weak to leave the house (more accurately, for a day or so, I felt like if I tried to descend the stairs from my apartment, I’d likely fall and injure myself.) What I have been doing is trying to stay warm, get plenty of liquids, taking loads of c and b6, and drinking ginger tea.
Now, it could be flu, or a nasty cold, or strep, or just a particularly vicious bout with cedar fever (if you haven’t spent the winter months in central Texas, you probably don’t fully appreciate just how vicious cedar fever can get!) The point is, I haven’t been doing my qigong or taiji forms. Should I have been doing them? And more generally of interest to the forum, how sick is too sick to train? Obviously if you can’t get off the toilet for fear of ruining your carpets you shouldn’t be free-sparring, but what else?
How much of a responsibility do you have to your training partners to not bring infections into the kwoon?
Well, if you are sick you shouldnt touch hands with anyone! I really think this is the most considerate thing to do. When I am sick I stay home and train on my own. It drives me crazy when someone comes in sniffling, coughing and hacking and then wants to touch hands!
From my experience, it is best not to train when sick. The body needs all of its energy for healing. If you do train sick, you’ll probably feel better for a while, but in reality you will only be prolonging your sickness and when you cool down it is very likely you will feel worse than when you started.
I feel very strongly about sickness and class attandence…if you are sick DO NOT go to class. You will pass your sickness on to your training partners, and you endanger everyone including yourself by not being having all of your wits about you. Training sick is selfish and dangerous.
That being said, I hope you heal fast and can return to training soon :).
Did I mention the part where I would go totally nuts wanting to train as soon I start to feel better and my fiance has to ground and pound me with reminders not to train?
Well, now I don’t need the reminder anymore (lesson finally learned), but I still get the itch…
In all honesty it’s probably best that you desist with the Qi Gong until you know you have got over the Zenith of the illness. If you’re coughing up green yellow Phlegm then its probably not the best idea to have too many warming or at least hot foods or drinks, espicially if you have sweating symptoms and sore throat too
I’m not sure which foods are considered ‘warming.’ I’ve been going with that old Jewish Mother’s standby (appropriate, since I’ve got a Jewish mother) chicken noodle soup. I think that now I’m around the corner, and actually intend to leave the house soon to run some overdue chores. Is it best to wait until I’m totally asymptomatic before resuming my excercises?
Warming = mainly heat inducing properties. I think that when one has passed the peek of the illness it is generally alright to introduce a limited amount of exercise and then increase it as health comes back to normal.
Been running a near constant 102 temp. since Sunday night. Haven’t missed practicing or training. Haven’t missed any training and practice save for the time I was in a combat or hostile fire zone. Even then I was able to “sneak in” some formal practice. “Out here on the perimeter there are no stars.”
Old Chinese saying “Show up for class and bring your illness with you.” What the h*ell are you going to do, “Sorry Mr. Bad Guy but I’ve got the screaming $hits and can’t deal with you right now.”
As for the wussy worried about touching hands with someone who is ill here’s a news flash for you - More likely than not you come into contact with people suffering with HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis, or hepatitis A, B, or C on a near daily basis.
People are generally “contagious” approximately 24 hours before the onset of symptoms so snotty nosed coughing isn’t a good key. Bag your reactionary “Boy in the Bubble” bull$hit and get on with it.
If your immune system is that weak then do yourself a favor and get it over with all ready. Just go hang yourself. Wear a diaper so you don’t $hit & pi$$ all over the place when you lose bowel and bladder control.
No, he’s obviously right. Because I have missed some training, I’m unfit to live. Please JF Springer, can you give me any pointers on how to end my life quickly and cleanly, with a minimum of fuss to others?
Yeah, ignoring Mr Testosterone-Overload there, I always train through illness unless I’m phsyically too ill to stand, but I always let my body tell me what’s good and what’s not. If I get dizzy, I stop. I drink gallons of water. Mind you, I’m rarely sick for more than a couple of days at a time - maybe that’s why!
Wow, you really are a grownup, Springer, huh! So your response is one of name-calling, schoolyard mentality insults and challenges. The army taught you well, boy! Hut, hut, hut, hop to it! Tennnnn-SHUN!
i was taught the only time not to train was when you have a fever.
luckily i haven’t been sick in about 3 years, so i don’t have to worry about it much.
