The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Sickness Through Exercise
Pushing through illness and getting back to exercise can be challenging, but it’s often a necessary step toward recovery. After feeling sick for several days without exercising, one fitness enthusiast discovered that the lack of physical activity only made things worse.
“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 explained during a recent workout session. “Not exercising did not help me, but made my body to be 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 Movement During Recovery
Despite still experiencing symptoms like neck pain, headache, and nasal congestion, they pushed forward with a short 20-minute exercise routine. The determination to move despite discomfort highlights an important aspect of health recovery that many overlook.
“It is very hard to exercise, but very easy to get weight. Very hard to lose weight. Very easy to gain weight,” they noted during the session. This observation resonates with many who struggle with fitness routines.
Mental Discipline: The Key to Fitness Success
The workout session emphasized the mental aspect of exercise perhaps even more than the physical component. The message was clear: taking control requires discipline and determination.
“All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Don’t let your body control you. Control your body. Control your mouth. When you feel like [giving up], you say no. I will not eat today. I will exercise. Just go ahead, control your mouth. Control your belly. Control everything.”
Gradual Progress is Still Progress
An important takeaway from the session was the emphasis on starting where you are, not where you think you should be. “We must not be professional. We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. If we cannot lift 10 pounds, just lift what you can. We are going to be fine.”
This message of gradual improvement extended to cardio exercise as well. While once able to run at higher speeds on the treadmill, the current focus was on rebuilding that capacity gradually.
Celebrating Small Victories
By the end of the short session, signs of improvement were already evident. “My energy level is coming back,” they declared while approaching the 200-calorie mark on their workout.
The transformation within the session itself was remarkable – from feeling ill and stiff at the beginning to sweating and pushing through by the end. “No more lying down. I got up. I shake my body. No more lying down. No more sickness. No more headache.”
This experience serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes the path to feeling better requires pushing through initial discomfort. While rest is essential during illness, carefully reintroducing movement can sometimes be the catalyst needed to regain energy and break the cycle of feeling unwell.