The Journey Back to Fitness After Illness: A Personal Recovery Story
Recovery after illness can be challenging, especially when it comes to resuming physical activity. After several days of feeling sick and not exercising, one fitness enthusiast shares their experience of how inactivity affected their body and their determination to get back on track.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system,” they explain. The consequences of this break were quickly felt: “That did not help me at all. Not exercising did not help me, but made my body to be stiff.”
The Physical Toll of Inactivity
The physical discomfort from lack of movement was significant. “I tried to stretch, even the back of my legs, my nails, my toes, everything pained me. Because of lack of exercise,” they shared, highlighting how quickly the body can respond negatively to sudden inactivity.
Despite still experiencing some symptoms—”I still feel my neck, my head is aching, my nose is running”—they made the commitment to start moving again with a short 20-minute workout to ease back into their routine.
Mental Approach to Fitness
A key insight shared during this recovery workout was the mental discipline required for consistent fitness: “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. Don’t let your body control you.”
This approach extends to nutrition as well: “Control your mouth. That’s when you feel like eating a snack. You say, no. I will not eat today’s snack. I will exercise. Just go ahead.”
Progress and Perseverance
The progress from the previous day was notable. “Yesterday I could not sustain this jogging for five minutes without stopping,” they mentioned, while today they were able to jog continuously for a longer period, tracking calories burned and monitoring their endurance.
Using a treadmill with various settings, they explained their gradual approach to increasing intensity: “When I lose weight, I will start running at 10. Because that way you have to pop pop pop. If I put it now, I will fall.”
The Importance of Health for Achievement
Perhaps the most profound reflection came when discussing the relationship between health and accomplishment: “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 understanding drives their commitment to exercise: “That is why we need to run. We need to exercise anyhow we can. We must not be professional as well. We cannot lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds. Five pounds. Little by little, we are going to be fine.”
As their energy returned during the workout, their determination became clear: “My energy level is coming back. I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it.”
This personal journey reminds us that fitness is not just about physical capability but also about perseverance, especially when recovering from setbacks like illness. Starting small and remaining consistent appears to be the key to building back strength and endurance.