It doesn’t happen often, but it happened earlier this week. I got sick. I’m not talking about a little case of the sniffles or a head cold. I’m not talking about something annoying but easily managed. I’m talking about out-of-commission, hardly-able-to-think-straight, all-I-want-to-do-is-sleep kind of sick. And it made me think of a question I get asked all the time: “Should you work out while sick?”

The quick answer? It depends.

For me, this week was entirely focused on getting better. I didn’t do anything (aside from the bare essentials) for work. I napped as much as possible. And yes, I skipped the gym.

Honestly, I haven’t gone to the gym for four straight days, I still may not even go today, and it’s completely okay. Here’s why.

The Oft-Forgotten Truth About Fitness

Going to the gym, doing a great workout, starting a nutrition plan, and eating more protein all have one main purpose. Everything you do in fitness should help you improve—it should make you better.

People usually lose sight of this when they’re knee-deep in pursuing their goals. And it’s to their own detriment. (In fact, it’s the key to answering the should-you-work-out-while-sick question. But we’ll get to that in a jiffy.)

Fitness should be about building you up, not breaking you down.

But somewhere amidst marathon sets of burpees and crash dieting, people forget that. People make themselves miserable and beat themselves down to have a better beach body. They slave away in the gym. They starve themselves in the kitchen. And they go to unproductive extremes all in the name of being fit.

That’s not what fitness is for.

Fitness should make you better. Every. Single. Day.

So… Should You Work Out While Sick? The Simplest Way to Know Your Answer

Remember how I said it depends? Well, it depends on the answer to one question. But before I tell you what the question is, we need to talk about how to answer it…

It’ll do you no good and serve you no purpose if you aren’t honest. Seriously. Self-awareness and introspection are great, but only if you’re doing so honesty.

Answering this question—or any question for that matter—with the answer you think you’re supposed to give is counterproductive. So don’t do it.

Here’s the question (and the simplest way to know your answer to, “should you work out while sick?”):

Will this make me better?

If going to the gym and working out will honestly make you better, go for it.

If going to the gym and working out won’t, don’t.

Ask yourself that question. Answer honestly. And you’ll know if you should work out that day. It really is that simple.

Psst, It Applies to More than Working Out While Sick

You can—and should—ask yourself this kind of question about everything you do. Obviously, it’s a great way to answer the should-you-work-out-while-sick question. And yes, it can also work for trying a new workout program, a new exercise, or a new eating plan. But it also works for life in general.

Imagine what would happen if more people audited their lives by cutting out anything that wouldn’t make them better.

More people would be more awesome. More people would unlock more of their full potential. And more people would become their best selves.

Ultimately, that’s what I want. I want everyone to become more awesome—not just in the gym, but also in life. One simple question will make that happen.

It’s the way to know the answer to, “Should you work out while sick?” It’s the way to know if the things you’re doing will help unleash your inner awesome. And it’s super simple.

Next time you’re making a decision—any decision—simply ask yourself…

Will this make me better?