Get up off the Couch After Sickness
Sometimes after being sick for a while it can be hard to get up off the couch and get active again, but it's important to get up because being active boosts your immune system and helps you get over the illness more quickly. So, read on to learn how to pull yourself up off that couch and get moving again.
Steps
- Make a conscious effort. Try do something active and make some progress every day. Sometimes you'll feel too sick to get up and really do it, but as long as you tell yourself you're going to really do something and really make a conscious effort, that's all you can ask of yourself. On the other hand, if you don't actually try you will not get anywhere. Don't lie to yourself. If you feel too sick, don't go running, you don't want to over stress yourself, but you don't want to lie to yourself either. Honestly judge your feelings and decide if you really feel too sick, or if you just don't want to run.
- Eat something. When we're sick it can be challenging to eat, because if we eat the wrong thing it can make us feel sick again or slow down the healing process. Still, it's very important to eat a sufficient amount of food every day because food gives you energy that your body needs to fight the virus, and boosts your immune system. Try to pull away from the "comfort" foods we all love to eat when we're sick, like pudding, jello, ice cream, salty crackers and soda, and instead try to go for things that will help you get better more quickly, like fruits, vegetables, and meat and cheeses. Try to stay away from things that are greasy, because they can slow down the healing process and put you back on the couch for a little while longer.
- Stay hydrated. One of the main ways viruses exit your body is through pee, so the more liquid you drink the better. Staying hydrated has many benefits for your body other than that as well. If you have a congestive illness, like a stuffed nose or wet cough, you may find that you get very dehydrated in the night. Something that may help with this is drinking a large glass of something with electrolytes in it right before bed, because electrolytes help you stay hydrated longer.
- Clean yourself up. Taking a shower and getting out of those pajamas that you've worn every day for the last week will help send your mind into healthy zone. Doing the things that you do every day, even when you're not sick, can trick your mind into believing you're no longer ill and helps it send the energy to you that you need in order to keep going. Also, by now those clothes are breeding grounds for germs, and probably just making you sicker, so change out of them, take a shower, brush your teeth and try to look presentable.
- Get off the couch and out of the house. Just getting up off the couch and moving around is all that's necessary when your body is still recuperating. Clean the house or go back to school or work. Go out with friends. You don't have to do anything particularly active, just go out to dinner or out to a movie. Staying away from the couch for most of the day will help tell your body you're all better and get you moving again.
- Do something active. In the beginning when you're body is still getting over illness you may want to try something that isn't quite as active as running or soccer. Things like yoga, which is a great option because it loosens up your body after prolonged sickness, or swimming, which is a peaceful and sickness friendly activity, are best to start out with. If you feel up to it you can try things like an in-home exercise or dance videos. Who says that you have to be away from home to get active again? Devote a couple of minutes, it doesn't have to be much, to the videos or another activities and watch your body get back to the way it was before.
Tips
- Laugh. Doctors used to say that laughter is the best medicine. This can be true, because laughter strengthens your muscles when you're weak and just makes you happy!
- Take a warm shower.
- Spend time with friends. Chatting, competing or just being around friends, family or even the public is like a stimulant, or a form of being active, in itself.
- Turn off the TV and get away from the computer. We all know that feeling when you've stared at the TV or movie screen so much that your eyes glaze over and practically forget to feel. That's just not healthy. Consider setting a TV or computer limit for yourself, and don't go over it.
Warnings
- Don't start off with a strenuous activity like running or a sport right off the bat, because these activities can use up valuable energy that your body could better use fighting off the virus. Take it slow and trust your instincts.
