08/09/2026
It all came to a head last week when I finished a live session on the bathroom floor with my worried hubby hovering over me.
Not how the week was supposed to go. At all.
I'd already been off heavy training for 2 weeks due to illness. The kids had gone back to school, so I had a plan for getting back to my own training, and I was excited about what was coming with the membership.
But my mind was writing cheques my body still couldn't cash.
So I've done the thing I'd tell you to do, and I've hated every minute of it. I've ditched the hard training sessions, which was harder than it sounds, because those are the ones I actually want to be doing. And instead I've been doing all the easy stuff. Really easy. The sessions nobody thinks they need.
And it's not just about fitness.
Being someone who's fit and strong isn't just something I do. It's part of how I see myself. It's part of my identity. And if I'm honest, it's a huge part of my confidence too. So when it stops, I feel like a chunk of me goes with it.
The old me would have probably run despite being unwell. Very likely got worse. Then lost a month instead of a few weeks. But at 44 I've finally learnt some new tricks. And now when I'm sick I focus on just moving.
I don't want to stop completely though, because complete stillness isn't what my body needs right now.
Your lymphatic system is like internal plumbing. It carries immune cells around and clears out waste fluids from your tissues.
And unlike your blood, it hasn't got a pump. There's no heart for lymph. It moves because your muscles squeeze it along, because your joints move, and because your diaphragm changes the pressure in your chest every time you take a proper breath.
Sit still and it more or less sits still with you.
So the sessions I'm doing right now are slow, breath-led and completely unremarkable. They're not making me fitter. Sadly. They're keeping things moving while my body gets on with the job of healing.
Because the habit and identity that comes with exercise was never about the hard sessions. It's about turning up at whatever level you've got that day.
Even if that's easy stretches and breath led exercises. The type that help boost your recovery rather than hinder it.
And this is exactly why I love Pilates. Because you can scale it down to wherever you are that day. So you don't need to choose between going all out, or doing nothing at all.
Are you running on empty this week? Comment EASY and I'll send you one of the gentle 10 minute sessions I'm doing right now, so you can do it too on the days you need to keep the habit, but not the pressure.
No equipment. No faff.
Liz x
