The Importance of Exercise During Recovery: A Personal Journey

After several days of illness and inactivity, getting back to exercise can be a challenging but necessary step toward recovery. This was precisely the experience shared during a recent workout livestream, where the importance of movement, even when feeling unwell, was highlighted as crucial for overall health.

“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my sister,” the fitness enthusiast explained. “Not exercising did not help me at all, but made my body to be stiff.”

The lack of physical activity had noticeable negative effects – stiffness in the legs, pain in the neck, headaches, and overall discomfort. This serves as a reminder of how quickly our bodies can react to sudden inactivity.

Pushing Through Discomfort

A key message from the workout session was about taking control of your body rather than letting discomfort dictate your actions. “You need to do it to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you. Control your body,” was the motivational advice shared.

The same principle applies to nutrition: “Control your mouth. That’s the way you feel like. It is your trauma. You said, no. I will not eat today, shall I? I will exercise. Just go ahead.”

Gradual Progress

One particularly encouraging aspect of the session was the emphasis on starting small and making gradual progress. “We need to exercise anyhow we can, we must not be professional as well. You must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds,” was the advice given.

This approach is especially important when returning to fitness after illness or a long break. The focus should be on consistency rather than intensity.

Tracking Progress

Using a treadmill with tracking features can help monitor important metrics like calories burned, distance covered, and speed. The session demonstrated how one might adjust settings based on current fitness levels: “When I lose weight, I start running 10 because that way you have to pop up. If I put it now, I will use 4. If I put 10, I will fall because of my weight.”

Prior to illness, higher settings (7-9) were manageable, showing how quickly fitness levels can change when we’re unwell.

The Reward of Perseverance

By the end of the short 20-minute workout, nearly 200 calories had been burned, and there was a noticeable improvement in energy levels. “My energy level is coming back,” was the satisfied conclusion.

This demonstrates how even a brief exercise session can have immediate positive effects on our wellbeing, especially during recovery from illness.

Health as a Foundation

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this exercise session was the reminder that health forms the foundation of all other achievements: “Your health is what? When you are in good health, you cannot achieve. It’s only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals.”

This perspective underscores why maintaining physical activity, even during challenging times, is so valuable for our overall quality of life.