The Importance of Consistency in Your Fitness Journey

Getting back into exercise after being sick can be challenging, but it's also a powerful reminder of why consistency matters in your fitness journey. After just a few days without exercise, the body can become stiff and uncomfortable, making it even harder to return to your routine.

When you've been feeling under the weather, your body sends clear signals about the importance of regular movement. Stiffness in the legs, back pain, and general discomfort are common symptoms that appear when we pause our exercise routines – even for a short time.

Pushing Through Discomfort

The reality of fitness is that it's often easier to gain weight than to lose it. This is why developing mental discipline becomes crucial to long-term success. You must learn to control your impulses rather than letting them control you.

Sometimes, you need to force your body to move even when it doesn't want to. This doesn't mean pushing through serious injury or illness, but rather recognizing the difference between genuine health concerns and simple resistance to exertion.

Start Where You Are

You don't need to be a professional athlete or lift extremely heavy weights to benefit from exercise. The key is to start at your current ability level:

• If you can't lift 100 pounds, start with 10 pounds
• If you can't lift 10 pounds, begin with 5 pounds
• If you can't jog for 30 minutes, start with 5 minutes

Progress happens through consistent small efforts that gradually build your strength and endurance over time.

Listen to Your Body's Limits

Understanding your current capabilities is important for safety and sustainable progress. For example, when using a treadmill, be realistic about the speed settings:

• Lower speeds (2-3) for beginners or recovery days
• Moderate speeds (5-7) as you build endurance
• Higher speeds (10-12) for those with more advanced fitness levels

Your weight and current fitness level will determine the appropriate settings. Pushing too far beyond your capabilities can lead to injury or burnout.

Health Is the Foundation

When you're healthy, you can pursue your goals effectively. It's only when illness or injury strikes that we truly appreciate how foundational our health is to everything else we want to accomplish.

This is why consistent exercise isn't just about aesthetics – it's about maintaining the physical foundation that supports every other aspect of your life. Even a short daily workout can make a significant difference in your overall wellbeing.

Remember that consistency matters more than intensity. A regular, sustainable exercise routine will yield better long-term results than sporadic intense workouts followed by complete inactivity.