It’s that time of year again. Start breaking out the Echinacea, the portable hand sanitizer, and don’t forget the tissues.

Yes, an over-abundance of sniffling, coughing, sore throat and sneezing, point to fact that the cold and flu season has arrived. Its emergence stirs not only the quandary between choosing regular or lotion tissues, but also has exercisers asking, “Should I workout or should I take it easy?”

A dedicated few believe in exercising no matter what. They come from the school of thought that you can “sweat it out” with a good workout, beat back your symptoms, and feel better.

Others equally dedicated to working out don’t quite agree. They believe minimal activity and rest are more important to a speedy recovery and to the avoidance of a relapse.

So which is it? If you’re experiencing cold or flu symptoms and weighing whether or not you should exercise, the “neck-up rule” is a good rule to apply. It’s an exercise rule of thumb that distinguishes cold symptoms - those typically felt from the neck up - from flu symptoms, which can be felt all over.

The rule gives the OK to moderately exercise, if symptoms are all in your head and conversely recommends skipping exercise when you’re experiencing cold and flu symptoms that hit below the neck.

Cold symptoms such as a stuffy nose, sneezing, watery eyes, or sore throat are experienced “neck-up,” and are mild enough to be treated while still allowing you to function well throughout your day. You can even exercise - though it’s prudent to turn your intensity down a notch or two.

Flu symptoms, those simultaneously experienced neck-up and neck-down, usually involve common cold symptoms in addition to tiredness, fever, coughing with congestion, head and body aches. It’s more severe and warrants skipping a few exercise sessions until you’re back on your feet.

A study published by the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, validates the “neck-up” rule. Researchers found that people infected with rhinovirus, the virus most often responsible for the common cold, who exercised 40 minutes every other day, did not experience their head cold symptoms any differently than those in the study who did not exercise.

Caution, however, is the rule for below the neck symptoms. The recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine is to avoid exercise when you’re experiencing these more severe symptoms.

So, while “sweating it out” may be a common fitness myth, it is not necessarily the best way to go. Our immune systems fight off viruses, so in truth no amount of sweat will dispel a virus from your body.

The cold and flu season is definitely upon us; so use the “neck up” rule as your barometer to or not to exercise. Rest when it’s prudent to do so and exercise on all the healthier days in between. Now go be great!