The "illest" workout.

Literally.

I like to think I'm immune to getting sick. Clearly, that is not the case, as I have seen this week. Despite feeling sick, I've tried to stick to my regular workout routine. That was NOT happening today.

Let me back up just a bit. I HATE medicine. I try to avoid it, despite sickness, pain, or whatever. This morning, I woke up with a sore throat. So I looked up some remedies. I found one that sounded interesting: gargle with hot water, salt, and cayenne pepper.

I don't have cayenne pepper. But I DO have Indian chili powder. I accidentally put too much of that chili powder in my cup of water. Mind you, this was before I'd had a chance to eat breakfast, even before I drank my glass of green tea! So I gargled this stuff. After two times, my mouth was on fire, and whatever had been in my throat before had magically disappeared. The burning in my mouth was really uncomfortable. But that's the price I paid to get rid of my sore throat in ~5 minutes!

And it has not come back all day. MAGIC.

Despite the sore throat clearing, I still felt pretty disgusting all day. And I really just wanted to work out. Cardio was out of the question. Yoga to the rescue!!

I did some research, and there are certain yoga poses that are good when you're feeling sick/have a cold/etc.

Lion pose:

No, this is not a joke. It actually activates the immune glands in your tonsils/lymph nodes and can stop an early sore throat from progressing!

The next poses go together in a series (called Downward Dog Vinyasa). The series should be repeated 5-8 times. Trust me, you'll feel like you DID get a cardio workout by the end of it! 

Start with downward dog:

Then go into plank:

To cobra/upward dog:

And then back up to plank, downward dog, and repeat.

//Side note: I used to choose running/elliptical/other cardio workouts over yoga. But I found that yoga is actually a really good work out, makes you sweat, AND builds muscle.

Check this out: plank to chaturanga (basically a tricep pushup):

And that is how I can now do >15 push-ups in a row no problem! Go yoga!!! End side note.//

Pigeon pose:

I guess this is just a good stretch in general.

That was a challenge. I'm not very flexible.

The next two poses are commonly known for immunity.

Bow pose:

This specific pose puts pressure on the stomach, which increases blood flow to that area, which strengthens the digestive system. The digestive system is full of immune cells, so this boosts overall immunity!

Shoulder stand:

This pose puts pressure on the thyroid gland, which is at the base of the throat. This stimulates the endocrine system which works with the immune system to help the body fight invaders.

I would not recommend following my pictures if you have never tried these poses before. I am NOT a yoga expert whatsoever! (But if you are interested, I personally know some. Er, one. My mom!)

Well, I must say I feel immensely better after that much needed workout!!!