Long Covid FAQ
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How do I know that I have Long Covid?
I am back exercising again, but I still experience problems. What am I doing wrong?
I have tested positive for Covid but I have no symptoms. Should I take it easy and limit my exercise?
What are the symptoms of Long Covid?
Will yoga or pilates help me recover from Long Covid?
How do I know that I have Long Covid?
Currently there is no test available to confirm the diagnosis. You ca have Covid even if you were totally asymptomatic with your covid infection (you may not have been had a test, and may have been infected without ever realising it)
I am back exercising again, but I still experience problems. What am I doing wrong?
You might not be doing anything wrong. Are you following the foundation guide? the healing process does take months. It may more than a year if you were particularly badly affected. There is no simple, straightforward answer. The best advice I can give you is to contact me and we can discuss your struggles in detail.
I have tested positive for Covid but I have no symptoms. Should I take it easy and limit my exercise?
yes. limit it as much as is humanly possible without going insane, for at least two weeks. Absolutely no competition of any sort. Small amounts of gentle yoga, or stretching is a great compromise for the short term. Don’t return to sustained exercise until you are back at work and have coped with a full week. You may be totally fine but, it is not worth the risk. The rest allows your body to recover from pre-infection exercise, as well as allowing you to fight the virus. As you have no symptoms you will be tempted to do more. What we do know is that many people with Long Covid had no symptoms during their initial infection. We still don’t know exactly why, but it will be related to your immune system. Do the best you can to stay hydrated, minimal (none) caffeine and alcohol. A primarily vegetable based diet high in vitamins, minerals, and ‘healthy’ fats to feed your immune systems and give yourself the best possible chance of being fine.
What are the symptoms of Long Covid?
The latest research1 lists over 200 symptoms.these are across broad categories: Cardiovascular, Dermatological, Gastrointestinal, HEENT (Head, eyes, ears, nose & throat), Immunological/Autoimmune, Musculoskeletal, Neuropsychiatric, Pulmonary/Respiratory, Reproductive/Genitourinary/Endocrine, and Systemic. The most prevalent are: Fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, elevated temperature, tightness of chest, sore throat, chills/flushing/sweats, breathing difficulty (with normal o2 saturation), loss of appetite, muscle aches, changes to sense of smell or taste, rattling breath, pain in the chest, (other) sleeping symptoms, diarrhoea, (other) respiratory issues, headaches, runny nose, dizziness.
1 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00299-6/fulltext
Will yoga or pilates help me recover from Long Covid?
No, but possibly yes! The same applies to any class based activity. Managing the overall intensity of an exercise session is key, and the main element of that is duration. Classes are usually 45-75 minutes long so if you have done nothing for 12 months then you are setting yourself up to fail. This is why all my programs start off with just a little bit of movement so we can test what you are capable of and what you body responds well to. You will not get this in a class environment. It is possible that we will include short amounts of yoga or pilates, perhaps from YouTube.