Has anyone else noticed that after a very stressful event, your body just kind of gives out on you!? It’s like it knows you finally have time to relax, so obviously you have time to be sick too, right? That’s what happened here. I got back from Vegas on Friday, and by Monday, I had come down with a pretty bad cold. And it just continued to get worse as the week went on.
I went to run club on Wednesday, even though by Wednesday, I could barely talk and I was coughing pretty hard. I struggled through it, but I did it! I really hate not working out, and I thought I was being tough by trying to push through.
By Thursday, my voice was shot and I was coughing significantly more. And I’ve been sleeping like crap all week, so I was exhausted. I still wanted to power through it and work out, because I felt like I had something to prove. I went on the elliptical and made it eight full minutes before I had to stop. I was coughing so hard I literally thought I was going to die. I finally admitted to myself that trying to push through when I can barely walk to the bathroom without getting winded is not going to help me. And taking a few days to allow myself to get better is not going to kill me.
I’m now on day three where the only exercise I’ve done is walk the dog. I’m not super happy about it, but I know it’s what my body needs right now. I’m still moving, just not as much as I would like.
I know I’m a big supporter of “there’s no excuses not to exercise,” but obviously in some cases there are good reasons to take it easy. I knew on Thursday even before I decided to call it quits on the elliptical that I was not doing myself any good trying to push through when I wasn’t feeling good. It’s okay to let your body recover and come back stronger than before.
Besides, with all the coughing I’ve been doing, I’m probably going to have abs of steel in no time. 😉
So, this has been your semi-annual reminder to listen to your body. When it says it needs to rest, then listen. A few days off won’t destroy you, and trying to push through it when you’re not healthy can do more damage than good. I’m going to take it easy this weekend and hopefully by Monday I’ll be feeling like myself again.
Here’s to hoping I’ll have kicked this illness by next week, and I’ll be back to exercising in no time. Stay healthy everyone!
Until next time! 🙂
Megan Nelson