The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Illness Through Exercise
Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it’s often a crucial step in recovery. One fitness enthusiast recently shared their experience of getting back to working out after feeling sick for several days, demonstrating how even a short 20-minute session can help rejuvenate the body.
“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 led to stiffness throughout their body, particularly in the back of their legs, causing considerable discomfort.
Despite still experiencing symptoms including neck pain, headache, and nasal congestion, they made the decision to push through with a light workout. “No more laying down. I got up. I shake my body. No more lying down. No more sickness. No more headache,” they declared, noting a significant improvement in their stamina compared to previous days when they couldn’t sustain even five minutes of jogging.
The Importance of Health for Achievement
The fitness enthusiast emphasized how crucial good health is for achieving one’s goals: “Your health is what? When you’re in good health, you cannot achieve. It’s only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals. That is why we need to run. We need to exercise anyhow we can.”
They also stressed that exercising doesn’t require professional-level abilities or equipment. Starting small is perfectly acceptable: “We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. Just little by little, we are going to be fine.”
Body Control and Weight Management
A key insight shared during the workout was about the asymmetry of weight management: “It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight.” The solution, according to them, lies in body control: “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not lay your body, control your body. Control your mouth.”
This philosophy extends to resisting cravings and making disciplined choices: “When you feel like it is a chore, you say, no. I will not eat today’s chore. I will exercise. Just go ahead, control your lungs. Control your belly. Control everything. And then force your body to move.”
Adapting Exercise to Your Fitness Level
The workout session included jogging on a treadmill, with the fitness enthusiast explaining how they adapted the speed settings based on their current fitness level. They mentioned that the treadmill has speed settings from 1 to 12, with 12 being the highest.
“When I lose weight, I’ll start running 10. Because that way you have to pop up. If I put it now, I will fall,” they explained, noting that they previously could use settings up to 9, but currently limit themselves to 7 due to weight considerations.
By the end of the short session, they were approaching 200 calories burned and feeling their energy returning, proving that even a brief workout can be beneficial when recovering from illness.
This experience serves as a reminder that consistency in exercise, even when modified to accommodate health challenges, can help maintain fitness and accelerate recovery from illness.