By One of the more common comments I get now from people I haven’t seen in a while is this: “You’re not aging! You look younger than your age! What’s your secret?”
To which I reply, “Thank you. As much as I love that comment—who wouldn’t?—I have no secret, and I’m not exactly sure why I look younger than my age.”
And here’s the thing: I get sick too.
Two days ago, I was still recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection that triggered my allergic rhinitis—something I haven’t dealt with in maybe a year and a half.
Why now? I don’t know. Maybe I failed to listen to my body and pushed it too hard by racing every weekend without proper training and recovery. Not enough sleep, not enough proper nutrition. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been mingling so much without regard for catching viruses again. Who knows? But I did get ill, and it knocked me down.
In short: I struggled. My go-to antihistamines that always worked suddenly gave my body weird reactions. I couldn’t eat properly, couldn’t sleep peacefully, and worse—I couldn’t stand up to run, bike, or be active.
It sucks. And it sucked even more trying to gather yourself and recover.
Here’s what I learned though:
It’s perfectly human to get sick. No matter how young you look or how fit you are, your body will remind you that you’re mortal. And that’s okay.
There will be lots of people who check in on you…and plenty who won’t. That’s cool too. You learn who shows up, and you also learn that you can’t expect everyone to. People have their own lives, their own struggles.
Your ability to bounce back is directly proportional to how much you do to bounce back—and not just the mindset. Positive thinking helps, but action matters more. Rest when you need rest. Hydrate. Take your meds. Give your body what it needs, not just what your mind wants.
Being attuned to your body is key, so go for it. Listen to those subtle signals before they become screaming alarms. Your body whispers before it shouts.
You’ll never know how strong you are until you test yourself. And sometimes that test isn’t a race or a personal record—it’s simply getting through a day when everything feels harder than it should.
Getting sick reminded me that looking young doesn’t make me invincible. That running fast doesn’t make me immune. That being active is a privilege, not a guarantee. And that sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is simply allow yourself to be weak for a moment, so you can come back stronger.
Last modified: November 29, 2025
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