Exercise during the cold and flu season can strengthen the immune system, but if you don’t overdo it because strenuous or prolonged exercise can suppress the immune system. The cold season should not be an excuse for the person to refrain from exercising. Exercising during the cold and flu season will help people stay in shape, and most likely fight off colds.

Most doctors allow their patients to exercise when they have a cold, as long as they don’t have a fever and when they exercise. However, it’s probably better to stop exercising altogether when you have an infection.

Most experts recommend that if your symptoms are above the neck and you have no fever, exercise is probably safe. The key is to make sure you have no difficulty breathing during or after a workout. Intensive exercise should be postponed until a few days after the symptoms have gone away. However, if there are symptoms or signs of the flu, such as fever, extreme tiredness, muscle ache, swollen lymph glands, you should skip working out altogether until you feel much better.

Research shows moderate amounts of aerobic exercise such as brisk walking and cycling during the cold and flu season boost the body’s defenses against viruses and bacteria.