For the seasoned post-op'ers - exercising
CEK0220
Posts: 171 Member
So it shouldn't be much longer before I am released to do more exercise. Right now I am just getting some walking in. I don't own a bike, nor can I afford to get one. I don't swim (picture an anchor). But as I near that release date I am wondering what I can do to ease into a regular exercise routine. I have never been a one to exercise (hence the WLS). How did you get into your groove? What is your daily/weekly regimen?
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I had surgery at the end of August and started going to the gym in October. I started out just seeing a trainer (strength training) two days a week with a short cardio time after--like 15 minutes. I slowly ramped that up to 30 minutes of cardio 3 days a week (plus strength training two days a week) by the end of December. I stayed there through January and just upped the intensity of my cardio. In February I added a 4th day and a 5th in March. I don't really have a day that I don't exercise now--I got a dog in December, too, and make sure to take him out for at least a 30-min walk daily. Sometimes that's a power walk--especially on days I can't get to the gym--and sometimes it's just a stroll with my mom or kids. I'm still doing strength training twice a week, but I just bought some weights so I can do it a third day at home.
I think the most important thing is to start small with with something you can keep doing, and then add more in as you feel up to it. I can't believe how good I feel now, and how much easier it is to be active!
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I'd stick with walking for a little while, just up the intensity. Almost immediately after I was cleared to work out I pulled my inner stitches, probably from lifting a few things in the 15-20 lb range and maybe mowing the lawn. They healed in about 3 weeks but it hurt and was a setback. For now I am walking and ellipticalling. I just always try to beat my distance and/or my time by a little bit to keep it challenging. Whatever you do, just be careful with lifting things and increase intensity over time.0
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I'm pre-op and have some mobility issues (old SI joint injury that inflames surrounding muscles if I overextend it) so am working on easing into being more active now so it's not as hard to do after surgery. I want to be lifestyle active not gym active..
I have a yoga DVDs for obese people that I started with and then have other harder ones I can work up to as I improve.
I also bought a desk cycle for at home (a stationary bike that fits under your desk so you can cycle while working), started with 5 min and can do 30 min now... and I'm always looking for opportunities to walk more and am picking up my pace as I become more fit.
My son has Wii Fit and dance dance revolution so those are other fun ways to get activity in with the family when the weather is nasty...
We live on an island and it's a 40 min round trip walk to a beach so this summer when I'm home with my son during the summer break we'll be doing that everyday together to get out of the house and fully enjoy where we live...
My point is... Find ways to build exercise into your daily life so it becomes habitual and natural... And fun!0 -
IslandSneezerooo wrote: »I'm pre-op and have some mobility issues (old SI joint injury that inflames surrounding muscles if I overextend it) so am working on easing into being more active now so it's not as hard to do after surgery. I want to be lifestyle active not gym active..
I have a yoga DVDs for obese people that I started with and then have other harder ones I can work up to as I improve.
I also bought a desk cycle for at home (a stationary bike that fits under your desk so you can cycle while working), started with 5 min and can do 30 min now... and I'm always looking for opportunities to walk more and am picking up my pace as I become more fit.
My son has Wii Fit and dance dance revolution so those are other fun ways to get activity in with the family when the weather is nasty...
We live on an island and it's a 40 min round trip walk to a beach so this summer when I'm home with my son during the summer break we'll be doing that everyday together to get out of the house and fully enjoy where we live...
My point is... Find ways to build exercise into your daily life so it becomes habitual and natural... And fun!
I highly recommend deep water aerobics classes for anyone with joint or back problems. The work out we with water residents has no impact at all.
Randy0 -
Unfortunately there's no public pool where I live, @ac7nj
I would definitely do that if I could! 0 -
@CEK0220-- I have also never been an exerciser. After my sleeve I started with walking and did that for about the first 4 months. Then I got a gym membership and started on the eliptical machine, rowing machine and staionary bike. Then I started running. Try different things. Videos, classes, whatever you can find. People say find what you love to do for exercise, I aim for finding what I can tolerate.
But I know I will feel better when I am done and so, I go. 0 -
Oh jm1fullerton you speak my language! You are also dadgummed inspiring as I watch your posts in my feed!
Thanks to everyone for your input.0 -
I love everything about exercise. I love the way it makes me feel, I love the way it makes me look, I love, most of all, that I CAN DO IT. Find that. And you'll be golden.
In all seriousness though, try a bunch of different things - give things that you say "no way am I going to like that" a chance, give things that you say "I'll love that" a chance, and be ok with being wrong about either thing.
If you start slow and build up, you'll be more successful. It is no fun to push too hard too fast - you'll end up hurt, exhausted, and hating it... and then, in a few years, you'll find yourself on the couch, eating bon-bons, and getting fat again. If you start slow and work up to the harder stuff, you never know where you'll find yourself in a few years. If you had told me a year ago that I would be training for my first half-marathon right now, I'd have laughed at you... I run it in a month from now.
Good luck. Stay focused. Get it done.0 -
DiamondRidge wrote: »I love everything about exercise. I love the way it makes me feel, I love the way it makes me look, I love, most of all, that I CAN DO IT. Find that. And you'll be golden.
In all seriousness though, try a bunch of different things - give things that you say "no way am I going to like that" a chance, give things that you say "I'll love that" a chance, and be ok with being wrong about either thing.
If you start slow and build up, you'll be more successful. It is no fun to push too hard too fast - you'll end up hurt, exhausted, and hating it... and then, in a few years, you'll find yourself on the couch, eating bon-bons, and getting fat again. If you start slow and work up to the harder stuff, you never know where you'll find yourself in a few years. If you had told me a year ago that I would be training for my first half-marathon right now, I'd have laughed at you... I run it in a month from now.
Good luck. Stay focused. Get it done.
Great advice all over the place! Give lots of things a try and maybe you'll find one that clicks for you.
With Hip issues, I find running and treadmills to be painful after the fact, but the ellipticals work fine for me. I love walking the golf course; I used to carry my clubs but now I push them. I play basketball when I can; it is fun enough that I put up with the next day hip pain. I coach my (and other) kids in basketball and shot putting. Chasing around middle schoolers shows you what real activity looks like!
I have been much more successful adding exercise through this WLS process by working out sensibly more often. Killing yourself in a single workout is more likely to hurt you, more likely to make you skip a gym visit, etc. I measure success by times in the gym rather than a high caloric burn. in the long run, steadiness wins out over intensity.
CEK; good luck and when you find the exercise that makes you click, make sure to let us know!
Rob
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I started with walking and the occasional Zumba class (my surgeon LOVED that I was doing Zumba, just found that humorous). But I much prefer to be outside than in the gym, even with cold/wet weather (but I'm from Atlanta - so very mild winter here). I eventually started adding in bursts of running and now I'm totally, completely (some would say obnoxiously, haha) addicted to running. Whowouldathunk a former couch potato like me would turn into an aspiring-half-marathon-runner in a year?!
As has been mentioned previously, the key is to not try to do too much too soon and injure yourself - that's pretty much true with any exercise. With running in particular, the rule of thumb is to increase your distance/time by only 10% each week to minimize the risk of injury.
The bottom line is that the best exercise for you is the one that you do!0 -
I started with walking, then I started doing videos at home. I really didn't want to go to the gym because I felt I couldn't keep up. Then once I felt more comfortable I started going to gym. WOW what a difference, I have met so many people in my classes that have all supported me throughout this tough journey. Now I go to the gym almost everyday, and now that it is getting nicer outside I am running and biking. I hated to exercise too, but wait until you see the difference. I do so many different activities plus weight training. I see definition in my legs, my abs are getting smaller and flat, maybe a 6 pack in the future. LOL. All I can say is move! What ever you do, you may hate it the first few times but give it a chance and you may find that it makes you feel so good that you keep doing it.0
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Walking is a great form of exercise. you can do it almost anywhere and even if it's just for 1- or 15 minutes you'll burn some calories and get the heart rate going. And you can increase the intensity as you progress. You can even do interval training where you go at a rapid speed for a minute or two and then slow down for five and repeat. I like to hike also. The change of terrain and hills will give you a good work out too.0
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jm1fullerton wrote: »@CEK0220-- I have also never been an exerciser. After my sleeve I started with walking and did that for about the first 4 months. Then I got a gym membership and started on the eliptical machine, rowing machine and staionary bike. Then I started running. Try different things. Videos, classes, whatever you can find. People say find what you love to do for exercise, I aim for finding what I can tolerate. But I know I will feel better when I am done and so, I go.
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Forgive me for jumping in as I am still pre-op but I am reading all these posts in order to educate myself on each step of the process. As a public librarian I am encouraging all of you to see what exercise dvds are available for free loan at your public libraries. Our small library has dozens of them and of so many varieties. This lets you try something for a few weeks to see if it is right for you. If it is you can search for a place to buy it for yourself. Youll save on buying those you will only do a few times. Keep up the good work everyone and keep writing these encouraging posts. I hope to have my pre surgery weight loss approval next Wednesday and then will have to wait on insurance approval to set my date. Hopefully ill have surgery within 5-6 weeks!!!0
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I've been thinking about a gym membership, and talking to a personal trainer. Those of you that have done this, was the experience a good one? I am also a long-time sedentary person, and while I used to be really lifestyle active (hiking, etc), asthma and joint pain have slowed me down to the point where it's difficult to even hit 5k steps per day.
My thought process was that a trainer might help me design a workout schedule, ensure I'm doing the exercises correctly, and would help me set realistic goals for progress. Is that naive? Or about what I can expect?
(The weather is nice enough to walk, but I live in a very hilly section of Boston. Lovely broad sidewalks, but the hills trigger breathing issues.)0 -
I got great advice from another group, use you tube to find exercise videos, for free! We have Amazon Fire TV and I can pull them up in my living room!0
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I've had good and bad experiences with trainers in the past and I think the moral of that story is that you get what you pay for - and you get out what you put in when it comes to research and communication. It's important to ask around and look at reviews and really find someone who will meet you where you are and help pull you forward rather than just giving you the same workouts as an average joe or trying to push, push, push without careful consideration. They need to understand your nutrition, that you might be eating less than 1000 calories and can;t refuel as fast as some, that you won't be able to replace water as quickly, that you need to form good habits for the long term and not just see results in the short term. That last one is a doozy, because many trainers will think that you will discontinue their services if you don't see super results really fast and will push you really hard. If they push too hard it may be difficult for you to want to go back and you may associate working out with pain and unpleasantness. But if you get a trainer that understands where you are coming from and where you want to go and really listens, it can be an amazing experience.0
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I've been thinking about a gym membership, and talking to a personal trainer. Those of you that have done this, was the experience a good one? I am also a long-time sedentary person, and while I used to be really lifestyle active (hiking, etc), asthma and joint pain have slowed me down to the point where it's difficult to even hit 5k steps per day.
My thought process was that a trainer might help me design a workout schedule, ensure I'm doing the exercises correctly, and would help me set realistic goals for progress. Is that naive? Or about what I can expect?
(The weather is nice enough to walk, but I live in a very hilly section of Boston. Lovely broad sidewalks, but the hills trigger breathing issues.)
Strength training with a trainer is good, and will be a positive in your life. I also recommend an aerobic exercise plan, swimming is great. The deal with swimming is no joint pressure, water aerobics classes are, great.
Randy0 -
Great posts everyone! Y'all are all amazing, and I appreciate the wonderful ideas.0
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Walking and strength training with 5 - 10 lb hand weights have been my routine. There is tons of info on strength training on the web if your not sure where to get started. I cannot afford a personal trainer or I definitely would. The videos at home are great too. I have several at different levels. Important thing is to just keep moving! I really need the strength training to tone up!0
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I'm 3 years post op RNY. I was never one that was much for exercise, and honestly I didn't start until I was 1 year post op (but I don't advocate or recommend that). The exercise physiologist at my surgeon's office told me not to expect to see any results for 6 months after I started exercising. So I committed to exercise 5-6 days a week for 6 months with no expectations of any bodily changes that weren't already happening just through dietary changes. I started joining a gold's gym by my house because it was $20 a month. I built up to 30 min of cardio (bike, elliptical, treadmill or stair machine) a day, then to 60 min. Then I added weight lifting. Tons of good videos on-line and articles about how to do this, and you can ask people at the gym. I took some zumba classes, pilates classes and yoga classes and hated them. I took a spin class and loved it so I added spin. Then I decided to try to run a 5k. I downloaded the app couch to 5K on my phone and did all the training on a treadmill (it was summer and I live in Phoenix so running outside was not an option). It took me 9 months to complete the 8 week training program but I did. I've done about 18 5K's since. Last year I trained for and completed the Disneyland Avenger's 1/2 marathon. At the moment, I try to run for an hour 2-3 times a week. I try to pick up a spin class or 2 a week. I also joined a boot camp group a year ago so I do 75 min boot camp classes 5 mornings a week and a 45 min class one day a week. I'm looking at adding swimming to my routine as the weather gets hotter here.
The best advise I have is #1 be consistent, #2 don't set unrealistic expectation and then get frustrated and quit, #3 change up your workouts and routines periodically, #4 set goals.
Also, remember weight loss is 80%+ diet. Truly exercise is great for your health and once it's a routine it makes you feel great, but it is 20% or less of the equation in weight loss. Case in point, I lost 124lbs my 1st year post op not exercising. I lost 40lbs the next year exercising and I gained 16lbs (and not it was not all muscle only 4lbs were) training for the 1/2 marathon (and I was running 25-28 miles a week) because I let my eating slide. Now I'm taking that weight off (watching my diet and logging). Also, exercise will not get rid of all of your loose skin, so be realistic about that too.0 -
Thank you for the input! My Weight Management Center also has an exercise program, so I may start with that first - I am at least guaranteed that the people running that know they're working with bariatric patients, then split off on my own. I had hoped to avoid it because 30 minute drive each way buuuut what can you do?
And @dannadi, I wanted to say thank you particularly for your input! I very much want to maximize my potential for weight loss (I'm happy with my rate of loss, but I'll always wonder if it could be better if I exercised), and I definitely want to improve my general fitness levels so I can do the things I want to do. I've never been able to run, and the idea that I might eventually be able to quite honestly makes me a bit giddy.
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With bad knees and 317# I never exercised. Didn't realize how much I'd like it until the pounds started coming off. Found that I love to walk. The freedom to just keep going and going amazes me. It feels magical. I tried swimming and videos but they weren't for me. I liked gyms, fitness classes, and yoga but had to quit because of my knees.
I bumped into a group on MFP that challenges each other to different workouts. Right now we're doing upper body weights (because I just had knee surgery, so they designed a workout I could do too this month - they're so sweet and great support :flowerforyou: ). But in the past, we've done core training (think pushups, squats, lunges, etc.) - it changes each month.
I've found I love dumbbells. Started with one-pound soup cans, and then moved up from there. I get natural endorphins from workouts, which leaves me with a feeling of well-being that permeates the rest of my life. (Think of someone making you happy all the time.)
Try things - a lot are free! Walk during your lunch break. Checkout videos from the library. Try weightlifting using soup cans. Lookup YouTube workouts (google YouTube plus: "women's workouts" "dumbbell workouts" "core exercises" etc.).
Find what you love to do. Find a friend to do it with. As you lose weight, you might be surprised. It's fun! :laugh:
Best wishes!
Paula0 -
I was never a runner, and honestly I still don't love it. But, I don't hate it and I can do it. I keep up my running (though not at the level that I did when I was training for the 1/2 marathon because I don't want to lose the ability to do it again. I have 2 very active little boys (6 & 8), I love that as I'm teaching my 6 year old to ride a bike without training wheels, I can go on bike rides with them. I love that I can jump on the trampoline with them. I love that I've been able to do several 5K's (like the Thanksgiving morning one) with my kids and husband and still been able to finish it even though I carried the 6 year old on my back for 1/2 of it. I take the kids hiking now too. Exercise really ends up being it's own reward.0
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blairmundy wrote: »I've had good and bad experiences with trainers in the past and I think the moral of that story is that you get what you pay for - and you get out what you put in when it comes to research and communication. It's important to ask around and look at reviews and really find someone who will meet you where you are and help pull you forward rather than just giving you the same workouts as an average joe or trying to push, push, push without careful consideration. They need to understand your nutrition, that you might be eating less than 1000 calories and can;t refuel as fast as some, that you won't be able to replace water as quickly, that you need to form good habits for the long term and not just see results in the short term. That last one is a doozy, because many trainers will think that you will discontinue their services if you don't see super results really fast and will push you really hard. If they push too hard it may be difficult for you to want to go back and you may associate working out with pain and unpleasantness. But if you get a trainer that understands where you are coming from and where you want to go and really listens, it can be an amazing experience.
I absolutely agree. When I committed to the surgery (self-pay), I told my husband that I wanted to build it into the follow-up budget to get a gym membership and a trainer for the first year. The trainer costs way more than the gym membership, but he is worth every penny. I was very fortunate to find someone who is both well-educated in physiology, and also nutrition-savvy. Other than muscle soreness from using muscles I hadn't used in decades (!), I've never suffered any sort of injury working with him. He adapted exercises for my arthritic knees (and as the weight as come off and I've gotten more active the arthritis rarely if ever bothers me anymore) and always asks to make sure I've had my protein shake before we work out. He knows I can't do cardio before weights (no endurance!), etc. He encourages and pushes but also watches very carefully and makes changes where I need them. I know that I wouldn't have felt confident about doing the amount of weight work I am without someone walking me through it and teaching me how to do each exercise properly--and enough times!
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