The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Illness and Embracing Exercise
Getting back into exercise after being sick can be challenging, but it’s essential for regaining health and energy. One fitness enthusiast recently shared their experience of returning to their workout routine after several days of illness, highlighting both the struggles and triumphs of this journey.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system,” they explained. The lack of physical activity had noticeable consequences: “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 Mental Battle of Exercise
One of the most significant insights shared was about the mental challenge of maintaining a fitness routine. “It is very hard to dress and exercise. But very easy to gain weight. Very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight,” they noted.
The key to success appears to be mental discipline: “Don’t let your body control. Control your body. Control your mouth. When you feel like eating a snack, you say, no. I will not eat today’s snack. 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.”
Progress in Recovery
Despite still feeling some effects of illness, including headache and congestion, they pushed through with determination: “No more lying down, no more sickness, no more headache! I’m back after feeling terrible, honestly!”
The workout session included jogging on a treadmill, with attention to speed settings appropriate for their current fitness level. “If I put it now at level 10, I will fall. Because of my weight. But I used to put seven, I used to put up to seven. Before, I used to put up to nine.”
The Importance of Consistent Exercise
A powerful reminder was shared about the connection between health and achieving life goals: “Your health is what? When you are in good health, you can achieve all! It’s only when you are unwell that you cannot achieve your goals! That is why we need to run, we need to exercise!”
For those intimidated by fitness, they offered encouraging advice: “We must not be professional as well! We must not lift heavy! We must not be 100 pounds! Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds! So if we cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine!”
By the end of the session, progress was evident: “My energy level is coming back,” they noted after burning nearly 200 calories in their workout.
This experience serves as an important reminder that consistency in physical activity is crucial for maintaining health and energy levels, and that returning to exercise after illness, while challenging, is an essential step toward recovery.