Exercise After Bariatric Surgery – Mexico Bariatric Center

Exercise after bariatric surgery is almost as important as your diet. The successful bariatric surgery patient regularly takes part in three main activities in their life after weight loss surgery: Appropriate bariatric diet plan, consistent and progressive exercise routine and support groups.

Not surprisingly, exercise for bariatric surgery patients is often the component that slips. It can seem daunting, especially after a long day at work or an especially difficult week.

Why Exercise?

After surgery, you will be expected to exercise as part of the weight-loss process and for good reason. The Surgeon General’s report on physical activity and health states that exercise helps to:

Reduce the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease or other comorbidities.
Reduce the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.
Reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
Build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints.
Reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
Control weight.

The key to weight loss is using more calories than you take in!

Getting Started

Walking

Walking is an easy way to get moving. Walking as exercise can be started before surgery and resumed once you’ve returned from the hospital. In fact, nurses at Mexico Bariatrics will encourage you to get walking as soon as possible to help in the healing process.

An exercise regimen featuring walking can be followed year round, outside when the weather is nice and at the gym or in a mall when the weather isn’t so great.

Mexico Bariatrics offers the following tips when you start walking to control your weight after bariatric surgery:

Start by walking on a flat surface and gradually add hills or slopes, as you get stronger.
Start with small distances and gradually increase the distance or amount of time you walk.
Alternate your walking routes will help keep you from getting bored with your walking program.
It may help to join a walking club or walk with a family member or friend to keep you motivated.
Walk only where you feel safe.
If you can, invest in a good pair of walking shoes.
If you have not exercised in a long time, it might make you feel better to take a cell phone with you on your walks.
You can use Google Maps to map out a route and check distances.
Take a bottle of water with you on longer walks. Sip water at intervals, especially if you walk outside on hot days.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic Exercise can also be a great way to help transform your life after your bariatric surgery. Before you start a program with aerobic exercise after your bariatric surgery, it is very important that you check with your doctor before you start any strenuous exercise program.

Mexico Bariatrics offers the following advice to patients interested in aerobic exercise:

The best form of aerobic exercise is one that you will enjoy. It is difficult to stick with an exercise program you don’t enjoy.
A variety of aerobic activities can help you from becoming bored with your exercise program. Try doing different activities on different days.
Swimming and water aerobics are a good form of exercise, especially if you have joint problems or joint pain.
If you want to take an aerobic class, always start with a low impact class. Make sure the class is geared for beginners. Examples include swimming, seated exercise, biking (elliptical and recumbent), and rowing.
Research has shown that increasing lifestyle activities can have the same effect on health and weight loss as a structured exercise program.

It’s easy to work more exercise into your everyday life. Small choices made to benefit your health can add up quickly. Some examples include:

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Parking at the far end of the parking lot and walking to the office or store.
Mowing the lawn and raking leaves.
Getting up from your desk to deliver a message instead of using E-mail.
Walking to do errands instead of driving.

Strength Training

Strength training may include the use of weight machines, “free” weights (hand-held weights), and resistance bands. Strength training is not recommended for the first three months after your surgery.

As with all exercise programs, it is very important to check with your doctor before starting a strength-training program. Mexico Bariatrics has three quick tips to help you in your strength-training:

It is very important to use correct form when doing strength training. This will help to prevent injuries.
When starting a strength-training program, it may be helpful to take a class or hire a personal trainer. The instructor or trainer will show you the correct way to use the equipment.
Strength training workouts should always be preceded by a 10-15 minutes warm-up (such as walking, using the treadmill, riding an exercise bike). This will raise the core body temperature and ready the joints and muscles for the workout.

Goals and Motivation

It is important to keep goals and motivations for working out. Mexico Bariatrics recommends that patients exercise (after being cleared to do so by their doctor) for 30 minutes most days of the week. For patients just starting, it can be helpful to break down the 30 minutes into 3-10 minute sessions.

Patients sometimes complain about having losing motivation or sight of their goals. Mexico Bariatrics recommends trying to stay motivated by practicing the following tips: