Why You Shouldn't Stop Exercising When Sick: A Personal Recovery Journey
After several days of feeling under the weather, I learned a valuable lesson about maintaining physical activity even during illness. Completely stopping my exercise routine left me feeling worse – my body became stiff, stretching was painful, and even my legs, nails, and toes hurt from the lack of movement.
Despite still experiencing neck pain, headaches, and nasal congestion, I forced myself to get moving again. The difference was noticeable immediately. While I couldn't sustain even five minutes of jogging just a day earlier at the worst of my illness, getting back to exercise helped restore my energy levels.
Take Control of Your Body
The key to fitness success is simple but challenging: you must control your body rather than letting it control you. This applies to both exercise and nutrition. It's remarkably easy to gain weight but much harder to lose it.
When cravings hit, you need to take command: “It's 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.”
Start Small and Be Consistent
You don't need to be a fitness professional to make progress. The journey to better health doesn't require lifting 100 pounds right away. Start with what you can manage – even if it's just 5 or 10 pounds. Consistency is more important than intensity when building a sustainable fitness habit.
This principle applies to cardio exercise too. I'm currently working my way back to higher treadmill speeds. Before getting sick, I could handle speed level 7, and previously even reached level 9. The treadmill goes up to level 12, but at my current weight, anything above 7 would be dangerous.
Health Is Wealth
When you're healthy, you often take it for granted. It's only when illness prevents you from pursuing your goals that you truly appreciate good health. This is why regular exercise is so crucial – it builds resilience and maintains the physical foundation needed for everything else in life.
Even a short 20-minute workout can make a significant difference in how you feel. As I experienced firsthand, getting back to exercise after illness helped restore my energy and improved my overall well-being much faster than continuing to rest.
Remember that consistency beats perfection. Whatever your fitness level, the most important thing is to keep moving forward with whatever activity your body can handle today.
