The Journey Back to Fitness After Illness: One Woman’s Struggle and Triumph
Coming back from illness can be one of the most challenging aspects of maintaining a fitness routine. After several days of feeling sick and avoiding exercise, one fitness enthusiast discovered just how quickly the body can become stiff and painful when regular movement stops.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my sister. That did not help me at all,” she shared during a recent workout livestream. “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.”
The Mental Battle of Returning to Exercise
Despite still experiencing some symptoms like headache and congestion, she made the decision to push through and restart her fitness journey with a short 20-minute workout session. This determination highlights one of the key principles she emphasized: “You force it. Not letting your body control you. You control your body.”
This mindset extends beyond exercise to overall health choices. “That’s why you feel like it is Shaoama, you say no, I will not eat today Shaoama. I will exercise, just go ahead, control your lungs. Control your belly. Control everything.”
Progress Through Persistence
The improvement from just one day of renewed activity was noticeable. “If it was yesterday, I cannot sustain this jogging for five minutes non-stop,” she mentioned while maintaining a steady pace on her treadmill. “Two days ago was the worst of them all.”
Her equipment includes a treadmill with multiple settings that track calories burned, distance, and speed. She noted that before her illness, she could handle higher speeds: “I used to put up to seven before. I used to put up to nine. But now I can do up to seven but not ten, not eleven or twelve is the highest.”
The Importance of Starting Small
For those looking to begin or restart their fitness journey, she offers practical advice: “Your health is what? When you are in good health you cannot—it’s only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals. That is why we need to run, you need to exercise.”
She emphasizes that fitness doesn’t require professional-level intensity from the beginning: “You must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. So if you cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little we are going to be fine.”
The Return of Energy
By the end of the workout session, which burned nearly 200 calories, she was feeling the positive effects already. “My energy level is coming back,” she observed, demonstrating how quickly the body can respond to renewed activity.
Her journey serves as a reminder that fitness is not about perfection but persistence. Even after illness or a break from regular exercise, getting back on track begins with a single workout and the determination to push through initial discomfort.