How to Push Through Exercise When You're Not Feeling Your Best
We've all been there – feeling under the weather, lacking motivation, and tempted to skip our workout routine. But as many fitness enthusiasts discover, sometimes pushing through those moments of discomfort can be exactly what your body needs.
After several days of feeling sick and skipping exercise, one fitness enthusiast learned a valuable lesson: lack of movement actually made everything worse. Their body became stiff, stretching became painful, and even basic movements caused discomfort. This experience reinforces an important principle in fitness – consistency matters.
The Consequences of Inactivity
When we stop exercising, even for a short period, our bodies respond quickly. Muscles tighten, flexibility decreases, and overall physical discomfort increases. As our fitness enthusiast discovered, “Because of lack of exercise…I tried to stretch, even the back of my legs, my nails, my toes, everything pained me.”
Getting Back on Track
Despite still experiencing symptoms like headache and congestion, they made the decision to return to exercise with a moderate workout. This gradual approach – not pushing too hard but not remaining sedentary – can be the perfect middle ground when recovering.
The workout consisted of light jogging on a treadmill, demonstrating how you can adjust your exercise intensity to match your current energy levels. Within minutes of starting, they reported feeling better – “No more lying down, no more sickness, no more headache.”
Progress Not Perfection
One of the most important insights shared was about realistic expectations: “We must not be professional as well. We must not lift 100 pounds to 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds.”
This approach acknowledges that fitness is a journey, not a destination. Starting small and building gradually is not only safer but often more sustainable in the long term.
Listening to Your Body
While pushing through discomfort can be beneficial, it's equally important to respect your body's limits. Our fitness enthusiast demonstrated this by adjusting treadmill speed based on current capability: “If I put 10, I will fall. Because of my weight. But I used to put seven, I used to put up to seven.”
This self-awareness prevents injury while still allowing for an effective workout. It's not about comparing to past performance but working with your current abilities.
The Mental Boost
Perhaps the most immediate benefit of pushing through a workout when not feeling your best is the mental lift. By the end of just a short session, our fitness enthusiast was celebrating increased energy levels and improved mood.
Tips for Exercising When You're Not Feeling 100%
- Reduce intensity but maintain movement
- Set a shorter duration goal
- Focus on the positive feelings that follow exercise
- Adjust expectations based on how you're feeling
- Celebrate small wins like increased energy
Remember that your health is foundational to achieving all other goals. As our fitness enthusiast noted, “When you are in good health, you cannot achieve. It is only when you cannot do certain things that you cannot achieve your goals.”
Sometimes the hardest part is simply starting. By forcing yourself to begin, even with reduced intensity or duration, you maintain the habit of exercise and often find that your body responds positively to the movement.
