I caught a really bad cold about 2 weeks ago. It’s been a very long time since any member of the Garcia Family has been sick (knock on wood) but about a month ago, my “baby boy” came home with a sore throat and runny nose. Thankfully, his cold bug came and went pretty quickly: Cas and I were not so lucky.

My husband got started feeling sick about 4 days before me and then one morning, I woke up with a SUPER dry throat.  I wake up at the same time every day and I can literally remember getting sick.  The dryness in my throat could not be quenched, even after I guzzled down a quart of water.  I had been awake for about an hour and suddenly, my neck felt super sore. I ignored the soreness and kept on typing.  Less than an hour after I noticed the soreness, my nose started running even though my sinuses felt full and I couldn’t smell anything.

By the time the sun came up, I was coughing, achy and feeling freakishly cold. I thought a good sweat would get rid of whatever was in my system, so I got on my stationary bike. Ten minutes later, I got off the bike because my legs were too sore to pedal. As the days passed, my symptoms got worse and I had a hacking cough, stuffed AND runny nose, fever, chills, aches and pains.  My doctor told me I had a viral infection, so antibiotics wouldn’t help. UGH!!!

My temperature was zig zagging all over the place, so my usual sound and restful sleep was really interrupted.  I didn’t have much of an appetite either.  With little sleep and hardly any food, I had almost no energy.  I pretty much watched TV, napped and read for about 5 days.  I continued to go to and get out of bed at the same time.  Every day, after being out of bed for about 3 or 4 hours, I just had to lie down and take a nap. It wasn’t fun at all, man!

I did all the things that I absolutely had to do, but I lacked the energy for anything more than that. Working out was out of the question.  Nearly 3 weeks later, my husband and I still have a slight cough and runny nose.  In comparison to how I felt a couple of weeks ago, though, I feel GREAT.  I have been riding my bike for about 35 minutes every morning and starting on Monday, I will resume my regular workout again. Since it has been nearly 3 full weeks since my last “real” workout, I’m going to take things slower.  I’ll use lighter weights and allow for a little extra resting time in between sets.

It’s frighteningly easy to put off working out for “tomorrow”, even when you’re not sick.  It’s also easy to eat a larger piece of cake or another few cookies with the idea that you’ll “work it off tomorrow”.  I’ve noticed that as I get older, my strength and stamina can significantly decrease if I skip or skimp on exercise.  This is actually the first time I have admitted this to myself, so I guess this is sort of a confession!! If you broke or deviated from a New Years resolution to get back in shape or begin a regular workout program, please tell me about it!

I’m going to post my workout routine tomorrow morning, so maybe you can use it as a blueprint for your own fitness regimen.  If you find that my workout if not your thing, I have a 45 minute Workout DVD that you can use 3 or 4 times a week.  If you’d like something more personalized, please go to my Turn Over a New Leaf 30 Day Fitness Challenge Blog entries and follow the tips for each day: At the end of the one month period, you will be able to construct your own workout routine & eating plan. I hope to hear from you… don’t be shy!