The Importance of Consistent Exercise for Recovery and Overall Health
Taking a break from exercise might seem like a good idea when you're feeling under the weather, but as many fitness enthusiasts discover, prolonged inactivity can actually make you feel worse. This was recently highlighted when a regular exerciser shared their experience of feeling stiff and in pain after several days without movement while battling illness.
“I have been feeling sick for some days, I have not really exercised and it did not do any good for my system,” they explained. “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
Despite still experiencing some symptoms like headache and congestion, they made the decision to return to gentle exercise, starting with a light jog. The improvement was noticeable almost immediately: “If it was yesterday, I cannot sustain this jogging for five minutes non-stop. Two days ago was the worst of them all.”
This experience perfectly illustrates how our bodies are designed to move, and how even during recovery from illness, appropriate levels of activity can help rather than hinder the healing process.
Mind Over Matter
One of the biggest challenges in maintaining a consistent exercise routine is mental discipline. As was noted during the workout: “It is very hard to lose weight, but very easy to gain weight. All you need to do is to push your body. Force it. Don't let your body control you – you control your body.”
This principle extends to nutrition as well: “Control your mouth. When you feel like eating a snack, you say, ‘No, I will not eat today's snack. I will exercise instead.' Just go ahead.”
Starting Small
For those intimidated by fitness, remember that you don't need to be a professional athlete to benefit from exercise. “We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds, 5 pounds. If we cannot lift 10 pounds, just little by little, we are going to be fine.”
The same principle applies to cardio exercise. As demonstrated during the session, it's important to work within your current abilities: “Since it's also speed on 7, it has octet wife. When I lose weight, I'll start running 10. If I put it now, I will fall because of my weight. I used to put up to 9 before, but now I can do up to 7, but not 10, not 11, not 12.”
The Importance of Health
Perhaps the most important reminder from this experience is how foundational health is to all other achievements: “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.”
Even after just a short workout, the benefits were clear: “I was cold now, but now I'm sweating… My energy level is coming back.”
For anyone struggling with consistency in their fitness journey, remember that even short workouts count, and sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Your body will thank you for the movement, especially when recovering from periods of inactivity or illness.
