Why Regular Exercise Is Crucial When You're Feeling Sick
After taking a break from exercise due to illness, the consequences became immediately apparent. Stiffness, pain, and discomfort throughout the body highlighted an important lesson: consistent movement is essential, even during periods of minor illness.
“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,” the experience revealed. “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.”
Pushing Through Discomfort
Despite still experiencing symptoms including headache and nasal congestion, returning to exercise proved beneficial. The physical activity helped restore energy levels and improved overall well-being, demonstrating the body's remarkable ability to respond positively to movement even during recovery from illness.
The improvement was noticeable: “Because yesterday I cannot sustain this jogging for five minutes. No stop five minutes jogging.” But with persistence, endurance began to return.
The Mental Battle of Fitness
One of the most challenging aspects of maintaining fitness is the mental discipline required. Weight loss requires consistent effort, while weight gain happens easily without vigilance.
“It is very hard to lose weight. Very easy to get weight. All you need to do is to push your body. You force it. Not letting your body control you. Control your body. Control your mouth,” the experience teaches us. This mental control extends to all aspects of physical discipline: “Control your mouth. Control your belly. Control everything. And then force your body to move. Force it. It's not easy. But you're going to force it.”
Start Where You Are
The journey to better health doesn't require professional-level fitness or extreme measures. What matters most is consistency and gradual progression.
“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. We must not be professional as well. We must not lift 100 pounds. Just start by lifting 10 pounds. Five pounds. Just little by little, we are going to be fine.”
Adapting Exercise to Your Fitness Level
Understanding your current capabilities and limitations is essential for safe, effective exercise. This might mean adjusting speed, intensity, or duration based on your present condition.
For instance, when using a treadmill, the highest settings aren't always appropriate: “When I lose weight, I'll start running 10… If I put it now, I will fall. If I put 10, I will fall. Because of my weight.”
The key is progress over time: “I used to put up to seven, before I used to put up to nine. But now, I can do up to seven, but not 10, not 11, not 12.”
Conclusion
Exercise remains one of the most powerful tools for maintaining health and recovering from illness. Even when feeling under the weather, gentle movement can help prevent stiffness, maintain fitness levels, and potentially speed recovery.
The most important takeaway is consistency – pushing through the mental barriers, starting at an appropriate level, and gradually building strength and endurance over time. Your body will thank you for it.
