WebClick Tracer

BODY AND SOLE: Can you exercise after getting anti-COVID vaccine?

Mindaviews body and sole thumbnail

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/ 3 October) – Unlike other people it wasn’t getting the anti-COVID-19 vaccine and the imaginary adverse effects on one’s body that worried me. What made me anxious was the word from a fellow runner that he was advised to rest for at least two weeks after receiving the vaccine before hitting the road again.

Imagine what a two-week furlough can do to a runner’s rhythm and endurance. No problem maybe if you stick to a flat track. But for months now, to avoid crowds, I have stopped going to the capitol grounds and have been frequenting instead the city’s bypass road, a route where the slopes make a 10-kilometer run feel like a half marathon. Perhaps that explains my point.

What that fellow runner told me was the same thing the doctor told me when I went for my second dose. She explained that a rest was needed to allow anti-bodies to develop after which one can consider himself or herself fully vaccinated.

I respect that doctor’s advice. Still, I consulted Google and got a different opinion. My online source says doing exercise or not after inoculation depends on the reaction of one’s body to the vaccine. It adds that an exercise could even boost the efficacy of the jab! Now that put me in a dilemma on whose advice to take.

The solution: I made the doctor and Google meet halfway. I decided to resume running five days after. After all, I assured myself, I experienced no side effects both during the first and second doses, not even a slight fever.

But instead of the average 15 to 20 km, I reduced the distance at first to 10 km and maintained speed to see how my body would react. I checked my fitness band every 50 meters or so to check on my pulse rate, listened to my breathing, and kept telling myself everything would turn out right. And it did turn out right. For, isn’t it true that physicality is useless without mental toughness?

I’m not saying you may exercise too a few days after getting jabbed. Every person’s body reacts differently to the vaccine, so there’s no template how soon you can go back to your regimen. It’s always better to err on the side of caution. So, in case of doubt listen to your doctor not this writer.

(Body and Sole is the author’s sports and fitness column. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com)

Your perspective matters! Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage respectful discussions. Don't hesitate to share your ideas or engage with others.

Search MindaNews

Share this MindaNews story
[custom_social_share]
Send us Feedback