(photo: Filip Kwiatkowski for The New York Times)

I know exercising is probably the last thing you want to do when you’re sick, but you might want to give it a try.  Only if you have a head cold though (just a runny nose, sneezing).  Maybe not so much if you have a fever or chest congestion or muscle aches.

There was a study done a while ago which showed that although exercising didn’t get rid of the cold any faster, or reduce the severity of the symptoms, the people were had head colds and exercised still FELT okay, sometimes better.  The same researchers did another study showing that head colds didn’t affect lung function or exercise capacity – in other words, it was perfectly okay to continue exercising since your body could still handle it.

The point?  If you’re trying to start a regular exercise program (which is awesome!), then don’t let a head cold get you off-track.  Try to push through.  If you’re lucky, you might even feel better. 

You can read the article here, which goes into more detail about the studies.