Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program to make sure that you're healthy enough for exercise.
Here are 10 great reasons to start an exercise program after bariatric surgery:
1) Regular exercise has been proven to help mood. Exercise can help lift depression and decrease anxiety. It releases natural chemicals into the brain that help reduce depression and anxiety.
2) Cardiovascular exercise helps keep down stress. After a good workout, people feel less angry, stressed and irritable.
3) Exercise helps your cardiovascular system. Typically, people have an average resting heart rate between 60-80bpm. If you're out of shape, your resting heart rate could be as high as 100bpm. But in trained athletes, the resting heart rate can be as low as 30 beats per minute. Why is this?
The heart is a muscle and just like any muscle, it is strengthened through exercise. Having an exercise program is one of the best things you can do to reduce your vulnerability to heart attacks and other cardiac problems. Exercise is critical to making sure your body recovers after gastric bypass surgery.
4) Exercise reduces the risk of osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. When women age, they tend to lose bone mass, but women who exercise regularly are much less susceptible to this problem. Exercise for osteoporosis prevention needs to be regular and the intensity needs to be progressive as tolerated. As you get more fit, increase the intensity of the exercise!
This is especially important for bariatric patients, because of the dangers of malnutrition and
malabsorption after lapband surgery. A standard gastric bypass multi-vitamin may or may not be enough to take care of your bone-mass needs when you exercise. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor and find out if you should take a
bariatric calciumsupplement.
5) Regular exercise improves muscle tone. As you lose weight, you want to do all you can to improve and enhance muscle tone. Exercise will help decrease fatty tissue and builds strength.
6) Increased energy levels. People who are fit are more energetic and able to do more in their daily life.
7) If you have a family history of breast cancer, exercise has been shown to reduce the incidence of it. The chances of getting breast cancer are reduced by a regular exercise program, because it causes positive changes to your hormones.
8) Increase strength and stamina. People who are more fit can accomplish more in a day because they don't get tired out so easily.
9) Even when you're not exercising you continue to burn more calories in a day when you have more lean muscle. People who exercise burn more calories even post exercise, than people who don't. People with more muscle have a higher metabolism than people with less.
10) Your body keeps burning more calories after you're done with exercise than the number of calories you were burning before exercise. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you're done.
If you were sedentary before your lapband surgery, you need to exercise after bariatric surgery. Before starting an exercise program, always check with your MD to make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise and to make sure there are no contraindications for you to begin a program.
Top 10 Reasons to Start an Exercise Program after Gastric Bypass Surgery:
1) Exercise improve your mood. Anyone suffering from anxiety or depression will find help through regular exercise. It releases helpful neurotransmitters into the brain that help reduce depression and anxiety.
2) Exercise reduces stress. Post- exercise, most people feel more relaxed and centered because it reduces negative emotions like anger, stress, and irritability.
3) Cardiovascular exercise reduces the incidence of cardiac problems. Most people have an average resting heart rate between 60-80bpm. People who don't get regular exercise can have a resting heart rate as high as 100 beats per minute. Professional athletes may have a resting heart rate as low as 30bpm. Why is this?
Because regular exercise makes the cardiovascular system more efficient. A steady exercise program reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps prevent cardiac problems. Exercise is critical to making sure your body recovers after bariatric surgery.
4) Regular exercise improves muscle tone. As you lose weight, you want to do all you can to improve and enhance muscle tone. Exercise increases muscle and reduces fatty tissue.
5) Regular exercise will make you more energetic. Being stronger and more fit will let you do more in your daily life.
6) If you have a family history of breast cancer, exercise has been shown to reduce the incidence of it. The chances of getting breast cancer are reduced by a regular exercise program, because it causes positive changes to your hormones.
7) Increase strength and stamina. People who are fitter can do more in their daily lives because they don't get tired out so easily.
8) Increasing lean muscle mass will actually help you burn more calories throughout your day. People who exercise burn more calories even post exercise, than people who don't. Also, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn all day long.
9) Your body keeps burning more calories after you're done with exercise than the number of calories you were burning before exercise. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you're done.
10) Exercise after weight loss surgery limits your vulnerability to osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. As women age, they tend to lose bone mass, but women who exercise regularly are much less susceptible to this problem. Exercise for osteoporosis prevention needs to be regular and the intensity needs to be progressive as tolerated. When the exercise becomes easy, do harder exercise!
Post gastric bypass surgery, you need to clear a new program with your doctor and start of slowly. An exercise program of walking is usually safe for anyone and a good way to ease into a new life of better fitness.
