Well & Good: Under the weather? Here’s how to tell if you can still go for a run.

Runners can be pretty stubborn when it comes to their schedule—as in, it’s hard for an obstacle to prevent them from hitting the pavement. Drizzling outside? The paths will be clear. Forget headphones? Sounds like a great way to zone out for 30. When it comes to running while sick, however, the situation gets a little more foggy.

On the one hand, you feel not so great, and running isn’t exactly the number one thing you should do with your time. But on the other, you hate to miss an endorphin-boosting sweat sesh, no matter what the conflict du jour may be. (Personally, I hit the treadmill while sick, so I’m guilty of the aforementioned stubbornness.) This is, of course, in terms of non-severe illnesses—you should definitely ditch running when afflicted with something more serious than a cold or flu.

In the past, I’ve heard a saying that if your sickness is from your neck and up, you’re okay to run—anything below that (i.e. your chest) means you should take a rest day. But to truly determine when, on your level-of-sick spectrum, it’s still okay to run and when you should actually stay in with Netflix, I consulted the pros.

“It really depends on what kind of sickness you’re dealing with,” says Robert Segal, MD, physician, and founder of Medical Offices of Manhattan and co-founder of LabFinder.com. “Bottom line is that there’s a reason why nature made us feel sick and you should listen to your body. If you feel sick enough to miss a day of work, you should not go for a run.”

Read the full article on Well & Good.