I don’t have time for this — being sick, I mean.

I thought I got off so easy.

It stayed in my head.

I continued on my way, perhaps reducing my busy life slightly, but not so much that I felt like it interfered too much.

I was starting to feel good.

I thought I got off lucky.

Then, life (and, ultimately, I) pushed my luck.

I headed to Calgary for the weekend to a fitness conference and some salsa dancing with girlfriends.

Just because you think you’re feeling better doesn’t mean you should taunt the cold bug.

He’ll bite you again just to prove a point.

Now I’m forced to slow down.

Silly me.

And with the flu scares, I’m sure to be treated like a walking germ if I show up and pretend I can teach fitness classes with my croaky voice and the odd coughing spell into my elbow.

So now I stay home.

I sleep. I lay on the couch.

I drive myself absolutely crazy.

I need to learn to sit still!

But self-care includes that rest time.

It’s such a huge part of it and, when you get busy and overwhelmed, trying to fit everything into the short hours of our day, self-care gets pushed to the side.

Sleep becomes a low priority and nutrition slips into quick, less-healthy choices.

Pretty soon, we’ve pushed it further than our immune systems will tolerate.

I’m proof of this pretty much every year at this time.

School goes back, life gets crazy, the germs start coming home and I’m undone every time.

One of these years, I’m going to learn, especially with the missing link in my immune system called asthma.

As soon as I get a tickle in my throat, I’ll be calling in sick and laying in bed for a week.

I can hear all the, “yeah, right” comments out there.

That would assume more common sense on my part than I likely possess.

But, in my defence, what was I supposed to do?

I had my flight booked, the conference paid for and the salsa outfit borrowed.

And I didn’t feel too bad during the weekend. A little tired, perhaps, but not enough to say I was sick and cancel everything and go home.

The conference was amazing.

I always come back ready to implement everything, so excited am I that I scare my classes and clients with all this new stuff.

Now, I have time to mull it over before I get back into the routine.

And the salsa dancing was amazing.

If anyone loves to dance and doesn’t like working out in the gym, I would recommend spending four hours in a salsa club.

I sweat as much as a spin class.

My only complaint — strappy sandals, even with low heels, are not as comfortable as athletic shoes and they don’t protect you from other people wearing heels on a crowded dance floor.

So, maybe the answer is a salsaerobics class if you want comfortable footwear while shaking your booty.

Ultimately, take it from me — if you’re sick, look after yourself.

Take some self-care time. I’m being forced to take it now, which may have been avoidable if I’d skipped the stubborness and taken that time sooner.

Someday I’ll learn.

Shawn Wenger is a BCRPA-registered personal trainer and weight-training instructor. She runs her own business called Fitness For Mortals. wenger@telus.net