Fighting Through Sickness: How to Restart Your Fitness Journey When You Feel Terrible
Getting back into exercise after being sick can be one of the most challenging parts of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. When illness strikes, our bodies become stiff, energy levels plummet, and motivation disappears. But as difficult as it may seem, restarting your fitness routine is crucial for recovery.
After several days of feeling sick and not exercising, the effects become immediately apparent. Muscles stiffen, flexibility decreases, and even simple movements can cause discomfort. As one fitness enthusiast recently discovered, “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
When recovering from illness, it's tempting to continue resting until you feel 100% better. However, gentle movement can actually accelerate recovery and prevent the negative effects of prolonged inactivity. Starting with just 20 minutes of light exercise can make a significant difference.
Even with symptoms like headache, neck pain, and congestion, getting your body moving again is vital. The key is to listen to your body while gently pushing it back toward activity.
Mental Control Is Critical
Fitness isn't just physical—it's mental. As the saying goes, “It is very hard to exercise, but very easy to get weight. Very hard to lose weight, it's very easy to get away.”
The solution? “All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you, but you control your body. Control your mouth.” This mental discipline extends to nutrition choices as well: “That's why you feel like it is Shawarma. You say, no. I will not eat today Shawarma. I will exercise.”
Start Small and Build Consistency
You don't need to jump back into intense workouts immediately. The beauty of fitness is that you can start wherever you are: “We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. Some of us cannot lift 10 pounds. Just little by little, we are going to be fine.”
For cardio exercises like jogging, begin at a comfortable pace and duration. Modern treadmills offer various settings to customize your workout intensity: “It has speed learning and since it's also speed on seven it has author twight when I lose weight I'll start running 10.”
Celebrate Small Victories
Recovery is a process, and each day brings improvement. Notice the positive changes: “I'm doing better today doing great” and “My energy level is coming back.” These small victories build momentum that carries forward into consistent exercise habits.
When you're able to sustain activity longer than the previous day, that's progress worth celebrating. From barely being able to jog for five minutes to steadily increasing duration, each step forward matters.
The Connection Between Health and Achievement
Perhaps most importantly, remember that health underpins all other achievements in life: “Your health is what? When you are in good health, you cannot achieve. It's only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals.”
This profound truth highlights why maintaining fitness should be a priority. When illness strikes, getting back to exercise isn't just about physical wellness—it's about reclaiming your capacity to pursue everything else that matters.
By gradually reintroducing exercise after illness, listening to your body while gently challenging it, and maintaining mental discipline, you can overcome setbacks and continue progressing toward your fitness goals.
