Swimming with a cold - good or bad?

1.  Are you asking the person who swims in the lane with you?

2.  Aside from a snot trail and the possibility of drowning, what possible negative could there be?

Heather,

It's really personal preference, I find that when I am sick and try to swim my head feels like it is going to explode. Not to mention that if you are congested then it will be harder to breathe causing a higher HR etc. So my advice is if it isn't a key workout that you just HAVE to do, then skip it and rest.

I'm not sure what bad things I think would happen - it just seems different. I'm planning on going on my run tonight for sure, but the pool just seems different to me.  I don't want to not swim just to slack off either - but since my shoulder started acting up last week, I'm wondering if this is the time to take a break from swimming until the cold is gone - maybe that will also give my shoulder needed rest... I'm just thinking out loud, but I'm not sure if I'm just making excuses...

Not until April - so it's not a key workout or anything (I was typing my last post while you submitted yours). I'm not very good at being consistent with my training, especially in the winter, so I'm a little leary of missing workouts and making excuses right now, because I've actually been doing good.

I think I'll skip the swim and try to go for a slow run, just to keep moving. If I feel horrible on the run, maybe I'll just walk...

It depends on your symptoms.

If it's just your nose and throat (beginning), then you can definitely go swim! Doing exercise, especially cardio, actually clears your airways so your nostrils clear up and your sinuses are no longer swollen (and you feel normal) during the workout. Unfortunately, it gets as bad as it was before shortly after you get out of the pool, and at the beginning you might get some snot in the pool which is a bit gross.

If you have a fever or you're more advanced in the cold, more precisely if you've started coughing, you shouldn't do any cardio at all. Working out when your lungs are sick is a really bad idea and could make it a lot worse.

Pay attention to how you feel. If you can barely keep your eyes open to read, swimming probably isn't a good idea. If you have a fever, obviously stay in bed.