The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Illness and Building Exercise Habits

After several days of feeling unwell, getting back to exercise can be challenging but essential for recovery. This was evident in a recent fitness journey where inactivity had led to stiffness, pain, and general discomfort throughout the body.

“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system,” the fitness enthusiast shared. “Not exercising did not help me, but made my body to be stiff. I tried to stretch, even the back of my legs, my knees, my toes, everything pained me because of lack of exercise.”

The Challenge of Returning to Exercise

Despite experiencing lingering symptoms including neck pain, headache, and nasal congestion, the determination to resume physical activity prevailed. This demonstrates an important aspect of fitness consistency – pushing through mild discomfort when appropriate to maintain progress.

The workout session focused on a gentle 20-minute routine, carefully designed to reactivate the body without overexertion during recovery. This approach highlights the importance of easing back into exercise after illness rather than jumping immediately to previous intensity levels.

Mind Over Matter: Controlling Your Body

One of the most insightful observations shared during this fitness journey was about the relationship between mind and body: “It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to gain weight. All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not let your body control you, but control your body.”

This mental discipline extends to dietary choices as well: “Control your mouth. When you feel like eating a snack, you say, no. I will not eat today’s snack. I will exercise instead.”

Progressive Fitness Approach

The fitness enthusiast emphasized the importance of starting where you are and progressing gradually: “We must not be professional… We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. If we cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine.”

This principle was demonstrated in the approach to cardio exercise as well. While previously able to run at speed settings of 7-9 on the treadmill, current fitness levels permitted more moderate speeds. The highest setting of 12 remained a future goal, with acknowledgment that attempting such intensity prematurely could result in injury.

Celebrating Small Victories

By the end of the session, positive results were already evident: “I’m sweating now. I was cold earlier, but now I’m sweating” and “We’re almost at 100 calories. Good. My energy level is coming back.”

These observations highlight how quickly the body can respond to renewed activity, even after a brief period of illness and inactivity.

The Connection Between Health and Achievement

Perhaps most importantly, this fitness journey reinforced the fundamental connection between health and achieving life goals: “Your health is wealth. When you’re in good health, you can achieve. It’s only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals.”

This perspective serves as a powerful reminder of why consistent physical activity should be a priority – not merely for aesthetic reasons, but as a foundation for overall life success and wellbeing.