Pushing Through Sickness: Why Regular Exercise is Essential for Health Recovery
When illness strikes, many of us retreat to our beds and stop all physical activity. While rest is important, completely abandoning exercise can lead to stiffness, pain, and a longer recovery period. One fitness enthusiast recently discovered this the hard way.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and I did not do any good for my system. That did not help me at all,” they shared during a workout livestream. “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.”
The Importance of Movement During Recovery
Even when you're not feeling your best, gentle movement can help maintain muscle tone, improve circulation, and prevent the stiffness that often accompanies prolonged rest. The key is to listen to your body while still challenging it appropriately.
“It is very hard to dress as nice, but very easy to get weight. Very hard to lose weight, very easy to get weight,” they noted, highlighting one of the fundamental challenges of fitness. “All you need to do is to push your body, you force it. Not letting your body control you—you control your body, control your mouth.”
Using Home Gym Equipment Effectively
During the session, the importance of proper treadmill settings was discussed. For beginners or those recovering from illness, starting with lower settings is crucial:
- Speed settings 2-3: Walking pace for beginners
- Speed settings 5-7: Jogging pace for intermediate users
- Speed settings 10-12: Running pace for advanced users
“When I lose weight, I start running 10. Because that way you have to pop up. If I put it now, I will fall. If I put 10, I will fall. Because of my weight. But I use to put 7.”
Mental Strength in Physical Fitness
Perhaps the most important aspect of maintaining fitness—especially when recovering from illness—is mental fortitude. It's about making conscious choices rather than letting momentary discomfort dictate your actions.
“That's why you feel like it is a shower time. You say no, I will not eat today's shower, I will exercise. Just go ahead, control your lungs, control your belly, control your tummy, control everything. And then force your body to move. Force it, it's not easy, but you're gonna force it.”
Gradual Progress is Key
The livestream emphasized that fitness isn't about immediately achieving extreme goals. It's about consistent, progressive effort:
“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 anyhow we can. It was not a profession as well. You must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. Just little by little we are going to be fine.”
By the end of the short 20-minute workout, the energy level had noticeably improved: “My energy level is coming back,” they reported, having burned nearly 200 calories in the process.
This experience serves as a reminder that while complete rest may seem like the best response to illness, gentle movement can often accelerate recovery and prevent the secondary problems that come with inactivity.
