The Power of Perseverance: Returning to Exercise After Illness

Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it’s an essential step toward reclaiming health and vitality. After several days of feeling sick and avoiding physical activity, one fitness enthusiast discovered the negative consequences of inactivity – stiffness throughout the body, pain in the legs, and general discomfort.

“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system. That did not help me at all,” they shared during a recent workout session. “Not exercising did not help me, but made my body to be stiff. I tried to stretch, even the back of my legs, my nails, my toes, everything pained me. Because of lack of exercise.”

Despite still experiencing symptoms like headache and nasal congestion, they made the decision to push through a 20-minute workout to begin the recovery process. This determination highlights an important health principle: sometimes the best remedy for physical discomfort is movement itself.

The Challenge of Weight Management

The session also touched on the perpetual challenge many face with weight management. “It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight,” they observed. The solution offered was straightforward yet profound: “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control. You control your body.”

This approach emphasizes the mental discipline required for fitness success. It’s about making conscious choices rather than responding to momentary cravings or discomfort: “Control your mouth. Control your belly. Control your craving. Control everything. Then force your body to move.”

Progress Not Perfection

An encouraging aspect of the workout session was the emphasis on accessible fitness. Not everyone needs to perform at professional levels to benefit from exercise: “We must not be professional as well! We must not lift 100 pounds! Just start by lifting 10 pounds! 5 pounds! So if we cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little we are going to be fine!”

This gradual approach applies to cardiovascular exercise as well. The session demonstrated working within personal limitations while still challenging oneself. Using a treadmill with adjustable settings, they explained how they currently work at speed level 7, having previously reached level 9, but avoiding the maximum levels of 10-12 due to current weight considerations.

The Reward of Persistence

Perhaps most inspiring was the visible improvement from just one day of returning to exercise. “Yesterday I cannot sustain this jogging for 5 minutes!” they exclaimed, noting the dramatic difference in endurance and energy levels after deciding to push through despite lingering symptoms.

By the end of the session, nearly 200 calories had been burned, and there was a palpable sense of accomplishment: “My energy level is coming back.”

This experience serves as a powerful reminder that health is something we actively work toward, not a passive state. As they aptly put it: “Your health is what you can achieve! It’s only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals!”

For anyone struggling to maintain fitness habits or return after a setback, the message is clear: start where you are, do what you can, and trust that consistency will lead to improvement.