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“Generally, if it [the illness] is above the neck, it’s okay, but if it’s below the neck, it’s not okay,” says Kenneth Madden, a geriatric-medicine specialist and UBC assistant professor who researches exercise.

So I had been out of commission with pneumonia for a few weeks and feeling extremely restless. Last Sunday I went to volleyball and felt good enough to go out to see Whip It! with friends after. Monday I went to the gym and had a good workout. A was a little tired after so decided to play it by ear the rest of the week.

By Thursday my cough was back and I called in to get an appointment with my doctor. She couldn’t hear any pneumonia but figured it was a relapse in the making and I trotted off to the x-ray clinic and the pharmacy. Yesterday when I needed to get out of the house I went for a coffee and picked up a copy of the Georgia Straight. There was a really good article on Working out when sick can help or hurt you. Its really worth a read if you aren’t sure if you should be hitting the gym or exercising.

Now having been sick for almost a month, I am going to take it easy when I finally get back into good enough shape to hit the gym and get plenty of rest.