In March, I was down for the count. Sick in the worst way. And obviously, that meant I had to stay away from the gym. So, imagine me, just counting down the days before I could pick up heavy shit again.
I had lifted weights for the first time since getting sick, a week and half later. That’s 9 days of not moving my body, save for a random cycling session on a Saturday night.
It hurt. It felt good, but it hurt. What could I expect after having a flu-like cold? My body is still not at 100%, so neither was I. My workout was trash.
And that’s OK.
If I were pre-cancer Annamarya, I would have ignored my symptoms and gone to the gym. Back then, I didn’t have a handle on how much rest my body needed—that I needed. I just plowed through my life because I had to get run away from it.
Now, I listen to my body. I listen to what it needs. It needed time. It still needs time. It can do more than before, but it’s healing from the cold, and that means crap workouts for awhile.
I’m good with this if it means I’m not hurting myself.
I don’t have much of an appetite, though, so I haven’t been eating enough to recover properly. That’s one area where I need to do better. But it’s a learning process.
tl;dr... Taking time off when you’re sick is the right thing to do. Don’t be a warrior. Let yourself heal. Sleep, eat your calories, drink lots of tea, get in the bath and soak, walk around in your PJs and a robe, and just be.