How to Push Through Exercise When You're Not Feeling Your Best
Getting back into exercise after feeling sick can be challenging, but it's often the best remedy for a stiff body and low energy. As many fitness enthusiasts discover, avoiding workouts when under the weather can actually make you feel worse – creating stiffness in your legs, back, and overall mobility.
When you've been inactive due to illness, your body becomes tense and inflexible. Even simple stretching can feel painful. This is precisely why maintaining consistency with exercise is so important for overall health and wellbeing.
The Mind-Body Connection in Exercise
The key to getting back on track lies in the mental approach to fitness. You must learn to control your body rather than letting your body control you. This means:
- Pushing yourself even when you don't feel like exercising
- Making conscious dietary choices instead of giving in to cravings
- Setting boundaries with yourself about what you will and won't do
It's very easy to gain weight but much harder to lose it. This reality requires disciplined choices every day. When you feel like having that shawarma, sometimes the better choice is to say no and choose exercise instead.
Starting Small After Illness
When returning to exercise after being sick, it's important to ease back in gradually:
- Begin with light jogging or walking
- Don't expect to immediately return to your previous capacity
- Celebrate small improvements day by day
Recovery is a process. You might not be able to sustain even 5 minutes of jogging on your first day back, but with consistency, your endurance will rebuild quickly.
Adjusting Intensity to Your Current Ability
Using exercise equipment with adjustable settings allows you to tailor workouts to your current fitness level. For instance, with a treadmill:
- Lower speeds (2-3) for walking or recovery days
- Medium speeds (5-7) for moderate cardio
- Higher speeds (10-12) for intense training
As your weight decreases and fitness improves, you can gradually increase intensity. This progressive approach prevents injuries while building strength and endurance over time.
The Motivation of Visible Progress
Tracking metrics like calories burned provides tangible evidence of your efforts. Seeing the numbers climb during a workout session offers immediate satisfaction and motivation to continue.
Remember that good health is the foundation for achieving all other goals. When you're physically compromised, everything else becomes more difficult. This understanding can be powerful motivation on days when exercise feels like a struggle.
The bottom line is that you don't need to be a fitness professional to benefit from regular exercise. Start where you are – even if that means lifting just 5 or 10 pounds instead of 100. What matters most is consistency and gradually pushing your limits to improve your health and strength.
