The Journey Back to Fitness: Overcoming Sickness Through Exercise

Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it’s often the best way to regain energy and restore health. In a recent fitness session, one determined individual shared their experience of getting back into a workout routine after feeling sick for several days.

“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 Importance of Pushing Through

Despite still experiencing symptoms like neck pain, headache, and nasal congestion, they emphasized the importance of pushing through discomfort to regain fitness. “It is very hard to lose weight, but very easy to gain weight,” they noted. “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Don’t let your body control you – control your body.”

This mindset of body control extends beyond exercise to diet as well. “Control your mouth. When you feel like eating a snack, you say, ‘No, I will not eat today. I will exercise instead.'”

Progress Is Noticeable

Even after just a day of returning to exercise, improvements were already noticeable. “Yesterday, I couldn’t sustain jogging for five minutes without stopping,” they shared while continuing their workout. The worst of the illness had passed, and energy levels were visibly returning.

Health as a Foundation for Achievement

The session highlighted an important philosophy about health and achievement: “When you are in good health, you can achieve your goals. 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.”

Starting Small

For those intimidated by fitness, the advice was clear – start where you are: “We must not be professional. We must not lift 100 pounds or 200 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds or 5 pounds. If you cannot lift 10 pounds, just start little by little, and we are going to be fine.”

By the end of the short 20-minute session, the exerciser was approaching 200 calories burned and feeling significantly better than when they started. “I was cold before, but now I’m sweating,” they remarked, a testament to how quickly the body can respond to renewed activity.

This experience serves as a reminder that consistency in exercise is key to maintaining health, and even after a period of illness, getting back to physical activity can accelerate recovery and restore energy levels.