How to Push Through Exercise When You're Not Feeling Well
Maintaining an exercise routine can be challenging, especially when you're not feeling your best. After several days of illness and lack of physical activity, getting back into your workout regimen becomes even more important – though significantly more difficult.
When you skip exercise for even a short period, your body quickly responds with stiffness, aches, and discomfort. 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 knees, my toes, everything pained me. Because of lack of exercise.”
Getting Back on Track
The key to resuming your fitness routine after illness is to start slowly but decisively. Begin with a short workout – even just 20 minutes can be enough to reawaken your body and start rebuilding your endurance. Listen to your body while still challenging yourself to push through initial discomfort.
Some signs that your body is readjusting to exercise include:
- Initial fatigue that gradually improves
- Sweating after a warming-up period
- Increased energy after completing your workout
Control Your Body, Don't Let It Control You
One of the most important aspects of fitness is mental discipline. As the saying goes, “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. Control your mouth.”
This mental toughness extends to all aspects of fitness:
- When you feel like skipping a workout, push yourself to at least do a shortened version
- When cravings hit, practice mindful eating instead of automatic consumption
- When exercises become difficult, focus on proper form rather than stopping completely
Progress at Your Own Pace
Remember that fitness is highly personal. You don't need to match someone else's intensity or capabilities. “We must not be professional as well! We must not lift 100 pounds! Just start by lifting 10 pounds! Five pounds! Just little by little, we are going to be fine!”
If you're using cardio equipment like a treadmill, adjust settings to match your current fitness level. As one exerciser noted about treadmill settings, “Five is speed learning. And six is the, it's also speed on seven. When I lose weight, I'll start running 10, because that way you have to pop up. If I put it now, I will fall.”
The Reward of Consistency
The benefits of maintaining regular exercise extend far beyond physical appearance. Your overall health improves dramatically with consistent activity:
“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!”
Even when dealing with illness or fatigue, finding ways to incorporate some movement – however modified – helps maintain your fitness foundation and speeds recovery. The energy and vitality that return after resuming exercise serve as powerful motivation to keep your routine going.
Remember that every fitness journey has ups and downs. The key is consistency over time, not perfection in any single workout.
