The Journey Back to Fitness After Illness: A Personal Recovery Story
Recovery from illness can be a challenging journey, especially when it affects your physical fitness routine. After several days of feeling sick and avoiding exercise, the effects on the body become quickly apparent – stiffness, pain, and discomfort.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for myself. 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 nails, my toes, everything pained me because of lack of exercise.”
Taking Control of Your Health
The road back to fitness begins with a simple decision: taking control of your body rather than letting your body control you. As difficult as it may be to push through initial discomfort, the rewards of perseverance are significant.
“It is very hard to lose weight, but very easy to gain weight,” notes our fitness advocate. “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you – you control your body. Control your mouth. When you feel like eating a snack, you say, ‘No, I will not eat today. I will exercise instead.'”
Gradual Progress Is Key
Professional-level fitness isn’t required to see benefits. The key is starting where you are and gradually building strength and endurance.
“We must not be professional. You must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds or 5 pounds. If you cannot lift 10 pounds, start little by little, and we are going to be fine.”
This approach applies to cardio exercise as well. Our fitness enthusiast notes their own limitations with treadmill speeds: “Five is speed running. I used to put up to nine before. But now, I can do up to seven, but not 10, not 11, not 12. When I lose weight, I’ll start running at 10.”
The Importance of Good Health
Perhaps the most important insight from this fitness journey is the recognition that health forms the foundation for all other achievements.
“Your health is wealth. When you are not in good health, you cannot achieve your goals. It’s only when you cannot do certain things that you realize how health impacts achievement. That is why we need to run. We need to exercise anyhow we can.”
Signs of Recovery
Recovery comes with small victories – being able to jog for longer periods, burning more calories, or simply feeling more energetic during a workout.
“If it was yesterday, I could not sustain this jogging for five minutes non-stop. Two days ago was the worst of them all,” our fitness enthusiast reports while noting increased energy levels during their current workout.
The journey back to fitness after illness reminds us that our bodies are resilient, but they require consistent care and attention. By gradually reintroducing exercise, controlling diet, and persevering through initial discomfort, we can rebuild our strength and endurance – one workout at a time.