You are sick. Should you exercise?

When it comes to advice about your own health, everyone seems to be an aspiring doctor. Ask someone a general question about an injury or sickness that they have, and they will rattle off what probably caused it, how to make it better and what they should and shouldn’t do during the recovery process.

I appreciate the fact that people take ownership of their own well being, but they should make sure they have all the facts. Unfounded “rules of thumb” and “old wives' tales” can actually be holding people back. Here are some ones I hear all the time:

• Stretch before you run. Never stretch a cold muscle. You should perform some form of warm up first before static stretching. Some research shows that it is safer to NOT stretch before a run, perform a short dynamic warmup (lunges, calisthenics, etc.) and then work into a steady pace. Stretch afterwards.
• Wait 30 minutes after eating to swim. Really, have you ever heard of someone dying from this?
• Do not exercise if you are sick since it weakens your defenses. A recent study by Ball State University shows there is little validity to this idea.

The moral of the story is that there are great resources to get the facts you need. Your gym coach from 1960 or your neighbor might not be one of the best ones to rely on.