The Journey Back to Fitness After Illness: A Personal Recovery Story

Recovery from illness often requires a gradual return to physical activity. After several days of feeling sick and avoiding exercise, one fitness enthusiast discovered that lack of movement had actually worsened their condition, causing stiffness throughout their body.

“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,” they shared during a recent workout session. “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 Importance of Moving Through Discomfort

Despite still experiencing symptoms including headache and congestion, they pushed through a 20-minute workout to begin rebuilding strength and stamina. The difference was noticeable even compared to the previous day’s attempt.

“Yesterday I couldn’t sustain jogging for five minutes without stopping,” they noted, highlighting how quickly fitness levels can decline during illness. “The worst was two days ago.”

Mental Approach to Fitness Challenges

A key aspect of their approach focuses on mind over matter: “It’s very hard to lose weight but very easy to gain weight. All you need to do is push your body. Force it. Don’t let your body control you – control your body.”

This philosophy extends to nutrition choices as well: “Control your mouth. When you feel like eating shawarma, you say no. I will not eat shawarma today. I will exercise instead.”

Starting Small for Sustainable Progress

For those intimidated by fitness goals, the recommendation is clear – start where you are: “We must not be professional. We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds or 5 pounds. Little by little we are going to be fine.”

This gradual approach applies to cardio exercise too. Using a treadmill with different speed settings, they demonstrated adjusting intensity based on current fitness level. “When I lose weight, I’ll start running at level 10… I used to put up to nine before, but now I can do up to seven.”

The Return of Energy

By the end of the short workout session, positive changes were already apparent: “I’m sweating now. I was cold before, but now I’m sweating… My energy level is coming back.”

This experience serves as a reminder that even when recovering from illness, carefully reintroducing movement can help restore energy and improve overall wellbeing faster than complete rest alone.