The Importance of Exercise During Recovery: A Personal Journey
After several days of feeling ill, the benefits of returning to physical activity became abundantly clear. What started as a challenging journey back to wellness revealed important lessons about health maintenance and perseverance.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system,” the author shares. “That did not help me at all. 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 Struggle of Getting Back on Track
The initial return to exercise wasn’t easy. Just days before, maintaining a jog for even five minutes was impossible. The author describes how the worst symptoms appeared two days prior, with gradual improvement allowing for increased activity levels.
“No more lying down, no more sickness, no more headache. I’m better today, definitely, honestly. And definitely you can see. Because yesterday I cannot sustain this jogging for five minutes.”
Mind Over Matter
One of the most powerful insights shared focuses on the mental aspect of health maintenance: “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. Control your body.”
This philosophy extends beyond exercise to overall health management: “Control your mouth. That’s the way you feel like. It is your trauma. You say, no, I will not eat today’s trauma. I will exercise. Just go ahead, control your lungs. Control your belly. Control everything. And then force your body to move. Force it. It’s not easy.”
Gradual Progress is Key
The importance of starting small and building gradually emerges as another valuable lesson: “We must not be professional as well. We need 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.”
The author shares personal limitations while using a treadmill, noting that higher speeds were once manageable but currently present a challenge: “When I lose weight, I will start running 10. Because that way you have to pop pop pop. If I put it now, I will fall. Because of my weight. But I used to put 7. I used to put up to 7. Before, I used to put up to 9.”
The Rewards of Persistence
By the end of the exercise session, tangible progress was evident: “My energy level is coming back” and “We are almost at 200 calories. Good.” Despite growing fatigue, there was determination to see how long the jogging could continue.
This personal journey demonstrates how returning to exercise after illness, while challenging, can accelerate recovery and restore energy levels. The experience serves as a reminder that health is the foundation upon which all other achievements are built: “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.”