The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Sickness Through Exercise
Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it’s often the most effective way to restore energy and overall health. One fitness enthusiast recently shared their experience of getting back on track after several days of feeling unwell.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised, and that did not help me at all,” they explained. “Not exercising did not help me, but made my body 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
The most difficult aspect of resuming a fitness routine is often mental rather than physical. As this fitness advocate points out, it requires a certain mindset: “It’s very hard to lose weight but very easy to gain weight. You need to push your body. You force it. Don’t let your body control you – control your body.”
This approach extends beyond just movement to overall health choices: “Control your mouth. Control your belly. When you feel like having a snack, you say ‘no, I will not eat today. I will exercise instead.’ Just go ahead.”
Starting Small, Seeing Progress
The key to a successful return to fitness appears to be starting with manageable goals. “We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds or 5 pounds. Little by little, we are going to be fine,” they advise.
After experiencing a setback where they “couldn’t sustain jogging for five minutes” the previous day, they were already noticing improvements in their stamina during this workout session.
Adjusting Intensity Levels
An important aspect of sustainable exercise is knowing how to adjust intensity levels according to your current fitness state. When discussing treadmill settings, they mentioned: “Five is speed learning… It also has speed on seven. When I lose weight, I can run on 10. But if I put it on 10 now, I will fall because of my weight. I used to put up to nine before, but now I can do up to seven.”
The Importance of Health for Achievement
Perhaps the most insightful observation was about the connection between health and accomplishing life goals: “Your health is what? When you are in good health, you can achieve all. 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.”
As the workout progressed, the positive effects became evident: “I was cold before, but now I’m sweating. My energy level is coming back.”
This real-life experience demonstrates how consistency in exercise, even when starting small after illness, can help restore energy levels and improve overall wellbeing.