The Journey Back: Returning to Exercise After Illness

Returning to exercise after being sick can be challenging, as one fitness enthusiast recently discovered. After several days of illness and inactivity, they found their body had become stiff and painful, with discomfort in their legs, back, and even toes.

“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and it did not do any good for my system,” they shared during a recent workout session. “Not exercising did not help me at all, but made my body become stiff.”

Despite still experiencing symptoms including neck pain, headache, and nasal congestion, they made the decision to push through with a short 20-minute workout to begin the recovery process.

The Importance of Body Control

A key theme emerging from their experience is the importance of mind over matter when it comes to fitness. “It’s very hard to lose weight, but very easy to gain weight,” they noted, emphasizing the need for discipline and self-control.

“You need to push your body. Force it. Don’t let your body control you—control your body,” they advised. This includes controlling eating habits and making conscious choices about nutrition, even when cravings strike.

Starting Small and Building Consistency

For those looking to get back into exercise or starting for the first time, the message is clear: you don’t need to be a professional to benefit from physical activity.

“We must not be professional. You must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds or 5 pounds,” they suggested, advocating for a gradual approach. “Little by little, we are going to be fine.”

Monitoring Progress

Using a treadmill with features that track calories burned, speed, and incline can help monitor progress. The individual mentioned adjusting settings based on current fitness levels, noting that they previously could maintain higher speeds but needed to modify based on their current condition.

“When I lose weight, I start running at 10. But if I put it at 10 now, I will fall because of my weight,” they explained, describing how they’ve adjusted from speeds of 9-10 down to 7 during recovery.

The Recovery Journey

By the end of the short workout session, positive signs of recovery were already evident. “I was cold before but now I’m sweating,” they observed, also noting they had burned nearly 200 calories and felt their energy levels returning.

This experience serves as a reminder that maintaining physical activity, even at reduced intensity during or after illness, can help the body recover and prevent the negative effects of prolonged inactivity.

The key takeaway? Listen to your body, but don’t let temporary setbacks completely derail your fitness routine. Sometimes pushing through discomfort (within reason) can help accelerate the return to wellness.