The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Sickness Through Exercise
After several days of feeling sick and avoiding exercise, one fitness enthusiast shares their journey back to physical activity and the importance of pushing through discomfort to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system. That did not help me at all,” they explain, describing how the lack of physical activity actually made their condition worse. “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 return to exercise wasn’t easy, especially while still recovering from illness. “I still feel my neck, my head is aching me, my nose is growing, but I will be fine,” they share, demonstrating remarkable determination to get back on track despite lingering symptoms.
The Mental Battle of Fitness
One of the most powerful insights shared during this fitness session addresses the mental challenge of maintaining a healthy lifestyle: “It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight. All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you. You control your body.”
This philosophy extends to dietary choices as well: “Control your mouth. That’s why 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 mouth. Control your belly.”
Celebrating Small Victories
The joy of returning to physical activity after illness is evident. “No more lying down! I got up and I shake my body! No more lying down, no more sickness, no more headache!” they exclaim, celebrating this milestone in their recovery journey.
The progress is tangible compared to previous days: “Yesterday I cannot sustain this jogging for 5 minutes, no stop 5 minutes jogging! Because 2 days ago, that was the worst of them!”
Making Exercise Accessible
An important message throughout the session is that exercise doesn’t need to be extreme to be effective: “We must not be professional as well! You must not lift 100 pounds. You must not be lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds! If you cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine!”
This approach makes fitness more accessible to people of all ability levels and encourages consistency over intensity.
Tracking Progress
Using a treadmill with various features helps monitor the workout: “The treadmill has timer, has calories, has number of stairs.” The machine also offers different speed settings, with the individual noting that they currently use speed levels up to 7 (out of 12) due to their current weight and fitness level.
“When I lose weight, I will start running 10,” they share, setting a future goal to work toward. “If I put 10, I will fall. Because of my weight. But I used to put 7, I used to put up to 7. Before, I used to put up to 9.”
By the end of the session, they proudly note approaching 200 calories burned, celebrating with the words, “My energy level is coming back!”
This journey reminds us all that fitness is not just about physical strength but also about determination, consistency, and the willingness to begin again after setbacks.