The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Sickness and Building Resilience
Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it’s an essential step toward recovery and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. After several days of feeling unwell and avoiding physical activity, the consequences became apparent – stiffness throughout the body, pain in the legs, and general discomfort due to lack of movement.
When we neglect exercise, our bodies quickly remind us why regular movement matters. Stretching becomes difficult, flexibility decreases, and even basic mobility can become painful. This experience highlights an important health reality: losing fitness happens much faster than gaining it.
“It is very hard to exercise but very easy to gain weight. Very hard to lose weight. Very easy to gain weight,” notes a fitness enthusiast who recently returned to their workout routine after being sidelined by illness. The key insight? “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you.”
This mental approach to fitness – taking control rather than yielding to momentary discomfort – makes all the difference. It’s about making conscious choices: “Control your mouth. Control your belly. Control everything. And then force your body to move.”
The improvement from one day to the next can be remarkable. Where yesterday a five-minute jog felt impossible, today brings increased endurance and energy. This rapid progress serves as powerful motivation to continue.
For those beginning or returning to fitness, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to start with professional-level intensity. “We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds. Five pounds.” Starting small builds consistency, which ultimately leads to greater gains.
When using equipment like treadmills, beginners should be mindful of appropriate settings. Speed levels should match current fitness capabilities – what might be a comfortable pace for an experienced runner could be dangerous for someone just starting out. As noted by our returning exerciser, “When I lose weight, I’ll start running 10 [speed level]… If I put it now, I will fall.”
The journey back to fitness isn’t just physical – it’s deeply connected to overall wellbeing. “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 perspective reminds us that fitness isn’t just about appearance or even physical capabilities; it’s about creating the foundation that allows us to pursue all our other goals in life. When health falters, everything else becomes more difficult.
The satisfaction of completing a workout after being ill provides immediate feedback – increased energy, improved mood, and a sense of accomplishment. While the process may be challenging, the rewards make the effort worthwhile.