Pushing Through: The Importance of Exercise During Recovery

Maintaining a consistent exercise routine can be challenging, especially when recovering from illness. After several days of feeling unwell and avoiding physical activity, the negative effects become quickly apparent – stiffness, pain, and 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. That did not help me at all,” shares a fitness enthusiast who recently returned to their workout routine. “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 Mental Battle of Exercise

One of the greatest challenges in maintaining fitness isn’t physical capability but mental determination. As our fitness advocate notes, “It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight. All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you. You control your body.”

This mindset extends beyond exercise to nutrition as well. “Control your mouth. That’s why when you feel like eating a snack, you say, no. I will not eat today’s snack. I will exercise. Just go ahead.”

Starting Small

The path to fitness doesn’t require professional-level intensity from the beginning. Small, consistent efforts can yield significant results over time.

“We need to exercise anyhow. We must not be professional as well. We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. If you cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine.”

Tracking Progress

Using fitness equipment with tracking capabilities can help monitor progress and maintain motivation. Features like calorie counters, incline settings, and speed measurements provide tangible feedback on improvement.

“When I lose weight I’ll start running at 10 because that’s when you have to really push. If I put it at 10 now I will fall because of my weight. But I used to run at 7, I used to go up to 9. But now I can do up to 7.”

The Recovery Process

Returning to exercise after illness should be gradual but determined. “I’m getting better, that’s why I’m running today. I want to wake up my body today,” shares our fitness enthusiast, who despite still recovering, managed to burn nearly 200 calories in a short workout session.

The positive effects were immediately noticeable: “My energy level is coming back.”

The Importance of Health

Perhaps the most profound insight comes in understanding how fundamental health is to all other goals and aspirations: “Your health is what? When you are 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 that investing in physical wellbeing enables success in all other areas of life.