Whenever I fall ill, I reduce my daily routine to whatever I can muster. It doesn’t matter if I do 50, 30, 10, or one push-up. As long as I push-ups every day, the routine remains intact. But that’s the obvious part. If you can barely get out of bed, of course you won’t complete your usual fitness regimen.
One question I used to wonder about was what I should do before I’m too sick to move. When I get the flu, I can usually tell in advance. My grandma has an eerily accurate rule of thumb: “It takes three days to arrive, three days to stick around, and three days to leave.” In those first three days, I’m not sick—but kinda.
So, should I already dial down? Get as much rest as I can in hopes of fending off the worst? Or just do business as usual, pretending I’m ignorant until I can no longer get away with it? I’ve tried a lot over the years. Eventually, I chose the latter: Whatever you can do, do it as long as you can.
For one, coasting for a few days before I actually felt properly ill has never gotten me around grandma’s rule. I still end up sick regardless. And for another, the transition in terms of what I can actually, physically manage is usually stark and clear. Therefore, if I maintain my habits until I can’t anymore, I’m making the most of life until it’s time to rest.
This is the story I’ve discovered for myself, and it works for me. Little is guaranteed in this life. Want to get in some video recordings for your job? Finish a book review and send it off for a magazine submission? Do it as long as you can. Temporary breaks turn into long ones before we know it—sometimes forever.
For you, another pattern might work better. Just consider doing everything as long as you can.
