How to Overcome Fitness Setbacks: Returning to Exercise After Illness

We've all been there – feeling unwell for a few days, missing workouts, and then experiencing the stiffness and discomfort that comes with inactivity. Getting back into your fitness routine after being sick can be challenging, but it's essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

When you take time off from exercise due to illness, your body quickly responds with increased stiffness, soreness, and decreased energy levels. As one fitness enthusiast recently discovered, “I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised… That did not help me at all. 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 Mental Challenge of Returning to Exercise

The hardest part of getting back to fitness after illness is often mental. You need to push through the initial discomfort and remind yourself why exercise matters. When facing this challenge, remember: “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 control your body.”

This mindset is crucial. Exercise requires discipline, especially when returning after a break: “Control your mouth. Control your belly. Control your cravings. Control everything. And then force your body to move. Force it. It's not easy. But you're gonna force it.”

Starting Small: The Key to Recovery

When returning to fitness after illness, it's important to ease back in gradually. You don't need to immediately return to your previous intensity level. As noted by fitness professionals: “We must not be professional as well. We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds. Five pounds. If we cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine.”

This gradual approach helps prevent injury and allows your body to rebuild strength and endurance at a healthy pace. For cardio exercise like jogging, start with a moderate pace and shorter duration, then slowly increase as your energy returns.

Listening to Your Body

While pushing yourself is important, equally important is recognizing your current limitations. If you previously ran at a high speed on the treadmill, you might need to reduce that temporarily: “It's also speed on seven, it has auto incline. When I lose weight, I'll start running 10, because that way you have to really move. If I put it now, I will fall.”

This awareness of current capabilities helps prevent injury and frustration. Your body will tell you what it can handle as you rebuild your fitness level.

Benefits of Returning to Exercise

Even a short workout after being sick can provide immediate benefits: “I was cold, but now I'm sweating.” Exercise increases body temperature, improves circulation, and helps clear congestion – all helpful when recovering from illness.

More importantly, regular exercise strengthens your immune system, potentially helping you fight off future illnesses more effectively.

The Importance of Health for Goal Achievement

Remember that fitness isn't just about aesthetics – it's about overall health and your ability to pursue all life goals: “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. That is why we need to run. We need to exercise.”

Being consistent with your fitness routine helps ensure you have the health and energy to pursue all your ambitions.

Conclusion

Returning to exercise after illness can be challenging, but it's a crucial step in recovering your health and maintaining your fitness journey. Start small, be patient with yourself, and gradually rebuild your strength and endurance. Your body will thank you, and you'll quickly rediscover the energy and vitality that regular exercise provides.

Remember – the hardest part is often just getting started. Once you overcome that initial hurdle, you're well on your way back to your fitness goals.