Fortitude Fridays

Vol. 131: Should You Work Out When You’re Sick? The Green/Yellow/Red Rule. Plus The Power of One Minute & More

Welcome to Fortitude Fridays—part mindset training, part field notes from real life. I share what I’m learning, testing, and using to help you strengthen your mindset, take better care of yourself, and keep showing up—week after week.

Here are a few ideas as you head into the weekend.

Read Time: 7 mins

This Week’s Snapshot:

• Quote: Active Hope
• Tactic: Should You Workout?
• Reflection: One Beats Zero

On Being Proactive, Yet Positive: There is too much bad news to justify complacency. There is too much good news to justify despair. -Donella H. Meadows (Scientist) Let the hard things wake you up—and let the good things keep you moving. Source: Thinking in Systems​

Tactic: The Green / Yellow / Red Rule

Stop guessing—use this quick symptom check to decide: train lightly, pivot, or rest.

I get this question often:

“Should I work out when I’m sick?”

And I get why. You don’t want to lose momentum. You don’t want to “fall off.” You also don’t want to turn a 2-day cold into a 2-week mess.

So here’s the answer I give clients: don’t make this a motivation decision. Make it a symptoms decision.

A simple rule you can use to make your decision and move forward.

Quick note: This is general guidance, not medical advice. If you have underlying conditions, are pregnant, are immunocompromised, or your symptoms feel severe/unusual, check in with your medical provider.

There’s a long-standing rule of thumb in sports medicine often called the “neck rule.” If symptoms are only above the neck and there’s no fever, light-to-moderate exercise is usually fine. If symptoms are below the neck, you rest.

Above-the-neck symptoms:

• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Mild sore throat / scratchy throat
• Mild congestion / sinus pressure
• Watery eyes

Below-the-neck symptoms:

• Chest congestion, wheezy or hacking cough, shortness of breath
• Fever
• Body aches/chills
• GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
• Heavy fatigue / “I feel truly sick”

Stop and seek medical care if you have chest pain, significant shortness of breath, fainting, signs of dehydration, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening.

Why this is important to note: “sick” isn’t one thing. A mild cold and a systemic illness are totally different stress loads. Fever, chest symptoms, body aches, and GI issues are big signals your system is already working overtime—so piling hard training on top usually isn’t worth it.

And there’s a practical piece, too: if you’re contagious, the gym isn’t the place to “push through.” Consider doing a workout at home. We have a phrase in our house when it comes to illness: not sharing is caring.

If you’re ever stuck wondering “should I work out?” use this traffic-light decision tree.

The Green / Yellow / Red System

GREEN = GO (easy mode)

Green looks like:

• Above-the-neck symptoms only
• No fever
• Energy is mostly normal

How to train on Green:

• Do 50–70% of your normal session (shorter + easier)
• Choose: walk, easy bike, mobility, light strength
• Keep it conversational—no intervals, no grinders

If you start moving and feel worse, that’s your answer: shut it down.

YELLOW = CAUTION / PIVOT

Yellow looks like:

• You feel “off,” run down, or sleep is wrecked
• Symptoms are building
• Mild cough creeping in, appetite down

What to do on Yellow:

• 20–30 minutes easy walk + mobility
• Or rest—especially if you’re debating

Yellow is still a win. You’re adjusting instead of forcing.

RED = REST. FULL STOP.

Red looks like:

• Fever
• Chest symptoms (chest congestion, hacking cough, shortness of breath)
• Body aches/chills
• Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
• “I feel genuinely sick” fatigue

Fever is a hard no. If your body is asking for rest, give it rest.

When in doubt, default to Yellow.

How to Return Without Boomeranging Back Into Illness

When symptoms are clearly improving (and fever-free if you had one):

1. Day 1: easy walk / mobility
2. Day 2: light strength or easy cardio
3. Day 3: moderate session if you still feel normal

If symptoms flare back up, you just ramped up too fast. Dial it back.

It happens—don’t stress. It’s simply feedback that your body needs a little more time.

What to Limit

• “Sweat it out” mentalities (especially with fever or chest symptoms)
• High-intensity training when you’re run down (it’s not great, and can make you worse)
• Public workouts while you’re actively sick

Missing Workouts

Sometimes people panic and think two missed workouts equals instant de-conditioning. I get it—I used to think the same thing. I’d drag myself into the weight room sick because I was convinced I’d “lose it all”… then limp through half-effort workouts for a week instead of taking 2–3 days off and coming back full tilt. And yes, I was also taking swigs of orange DayQuil between sets—so dumb. Do not do this.

Here’s the truth: a few days off doesn’t erase your fitness. It gives your body room to bounce back. For most people, real de-conditioning doesn’t show up after a few days—endurance is usually the first to dip after ~10–14 days without training, and strength tends to hold longer.

If you’re the type who needs a plan even on rest days, do this:

• Hydrate
• Eat protein
• Sleep
• Short walks, gentle stretching, or mobility if you’re up for it
• Fresh air when possible

That still counts. It’s recovery training.

Bringing It Home

Fortitude isn’t always pushing harder.

Sometimes it’s protecting the base so you’re back sooner—and back stronger—instead of dragging an illness out.

The goal isn’t to “win” the day when you're feeling sick. It’s to recover and get back to your life.

You've got this.

Power of One Minute: We tend to think two is always better than one. But one is infinitely better than zero. -One minute of meditation beats zero. -One minute of planning beats zero. -One minute of stretching beats zero. -One minute of creating beats zero. -One minute of walking beats zero. -One minute of learning beats zero. Sure—an hour is great. But one minute gets you in the game. Now you’re doing it. Now change is possible. Sometimes one minute flips the whole game. If you’ve ever watched sports, you’ve seen it.s. One minute doesn’t feel like much, but it’s real time. At zero, it’s still just an idea. So what’s your one minute today?

It's Happening Tonight!

Thanks for reading. Hope you stay warm and safe this weekend. Until next time…

You got this,

P.S. If you’re new—welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve just stepped into a community of people who are showing up, doing the work, and getting after what matters. We’re all about learning, growing, and building real momentum—together. Let’s go!

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