Exercises You SHOULD Be Doing After Weight Loss Surgery

Exercise after bariatric surgery is one of the top three components to weight loss success. In fact, physical activity should begin immediately after returning home from the operation.

Most patients will have to ease into exercising after weight loss surgery. Even just starting by walking a few minutes a day is a great way to get into healthy exercise habits.

Remember – exercise does not mean only running. It means to be physically active. Just do it!

Types of Exercise After Weight Loss Surgery

Whether dancing, walking, weights, or yoga, patients can incorporate hundreds of different exercises into their daily routines.

• Light Exercise: Walking or elliptical
• strength Training: Free weights, lifting, yoga
• Interval Training: Crossfit, personal trainers, boot camp

How Beneficial is Exercise After Bariatric Surgery?

Well, it’s HUGE! But why?

• Not only do studies suggest that exercise after bariatric surgery will increase your weight loss, but it will also help to assuage depression and lift your mood.
• Studies also show that exercise helps the healing process and helps to minimize post-bariatric surgery complications.
• Being active boosts your overall health: lung, bone, muscles, cardiovascular, and mental.
• Exercise promotes better sleep and sex life!

There’s more…

Some patients start a mild exercise regimen before bariatric surgery. Exercise prior to surgery will help patients become qualified candidates. Bariatric surgeons sometimes require a full year of moderate exercise before surgery.

Simple activities, such as walking for 10 to 20 minutes per day, could be necessary for morbidly obese patients before weight loss surgery.

During your healing and recovery process of bariatric surgery (gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, duodenal switch, or mini-gastric bypass), patients are at increased risk of complications. Most surgeons recommend that patients begin a lite exercise regimen two or three weeks following their surgery.

1 Month to 6 Months Post-Op – Exercises You Should Do

Starting the post-op recovery period, doctors tell patients to start slowly. Most recommend simple exercises, including walking in the very beginning.

– Exercise During the First 1 to 2 Months After Surgery

Unless your surgeon says otherwise, walking is the only exercise you should do during the first two months following your bariatric surgery. As your body is still weak and adapting to this major change, it’s important that you not push yourself. Take it slow at first. Try walking 10 minutes at a time. You can do it again later in the day if you like more.

Although you are recovering, you should be walking right away. Indeed, your surgeon may tell you to start walking regularly the day you come home from surgery or within a few days. Walking increases blood flow around your body which helps you heal and decreases the risk of surgery complications.

Water aerobics is the only other acceptable exercise that may be acceptable because of how low-impact it is. Even with this option, you must stop once you feel your body is being pushed too far and talk to your surgeon to see if the water may interact with recovery. Remember to always stay hydrated and constantly drink throughout the day. The minimum requirements are typically 64 oz. of water daily for bariatric patients.

During these first three months, abdominal exercises must be completely avoided. You need to let your incisions heal and reduce pressure on your stomach while it is still sensitive.

– Exercise During the 3 Months Post-Op

By the second month, some patients feel more comfortable and want to start lifting weights or jogging. But it is recommended that you first discuss this with your surgeon or your doctor to ensure that your body is ready.

It’s important to remember that your sense of balance and coordination may be in flux. You’ve lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time. If you haven’t been walking a lot already, don’t begin jogging or sign up for an aerobics class simply because it’s been three months. Get used to how it feels.

But right around the end of the 3 rd month, you should be able to start picking up your exercise routine and do both aerobic (running) and anaerobic (muscle) workouts.

– Exercise During Months 4 to 6 Post-Op

Starting one to two days weekly and increasing from there is a good step. The patient’s goals should be to work to 30-minute exercises for three to five days a week.

1. Yoga

Yoga can help patients increase flexibility, tone the body, improve metabolism, and circulate blood flow, improving healing and long-term weight loss.

2. Brisk Walking

Walking is a good start, and patients can increase to “speed walking” in the later months. Everyone can do it to maintain a healthy weight and get out of the house.

3. Swimming

Swimming can be very physically demanding, so we recommend intermittent lite swimming. It’s a great way to increase the heart rate and has proven to reduce stress in many past patients.

4. Dancing

Dancing can be fun and also help you meet your cardio goals. Improves bones, balance, heart, and muscle strength.

5. Resistance Training

Resistance Training using light weights contributes to strengthening your body. Patients may find free weights, machines, or even resistance bands helpful to improve strength.

After 4 months, there are rarely any bariatric surgery-related complications. After speaking with your doctor, you should be able to enjoy a wide range of exercises, including:

• Swimming
• Hiking
• Yoga
• Kettlebell routines
• Weight Training

6 Months to 12 Months Post-Op – Exercises You Should Do

After six months, you should be able to endure 45-minute exercise sessions 3 to 5 times per week. This stage will invest more time in resistance training, helping to increase your core muscles (abdominal, lower back, upper back), leg muscles, and upper-body muscles.

Patients should feel free to try more challenging exercises. Patients can include workouts like kickboxing or aerobics in their repertoire.

1 Year and Beyond – Exercises You Should Do

Making the past year deserves a big congratulation! Getting to this point means you’ve probably shredded a significant portion of your excess weight. Some patients may have even lost 100 pounds or more.

Now that you’re halfway there, it’s time to try more intense exercises to keep the fat coming off.

• Interval training on the treadmill: walking then running, or walking then jogging, and doing it in varying intervals will keep increasing your metabolic rate to burn more fat.
• Incorporate more activity-based exercises into their routine: Hiking, running, swimming, and biking are all novel ways that will help you to continue to your weight loss goals.

How to Easily Get into an Exercise Routine

Exercise is essential to maintain long-term weight loss. That being said, it needs to become habitual and follow some sort of routine.

Create a steady exercise routine to build a strong heart and bones. Make sure you consume enough calories to support your exercise. Build muscle by exercising regularly.

Keep in mind the purpose of physical activity is to increase your heart rate, so cultivating does not check..¹

1. Find a friend to motivate one another
2. Join a local gym or club
3. Walk further by using stairs or parking further away
4. Do things you love and become more active with those hobbies, sports, or activities
5. Take your dog on a walk or to the park
6. Find clothes you feel good in

Exercises to Avoid After Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is considered one of the best ways to lose weight when diet and exercise have failed. But bariatric surgery is not a substitute for diet and exercise. Once you’ve completed your surgery, you will need to start eating healthy and exercising regularly to help the weight loss occur.

However, bariatric surgery is surgery. Although it’s usually minimally invasive surgery, there are some risks and recovery that you need to keep in mind.

Recovery Following Bariatric Surgery

Recovering from bariatric surgery involves a liquid diet. Most patients will have difficulty consuming ice and water on the first day. Eventually, they can move on to juice, broth, and fat-free milk. By the end of the first week, or shortly thereafter, they’ll be allowed yogurt, soft fruits, lean meat, and fish.

These extreme dietary restrictions speak to how delicate the body is following this surgery, and it could make exercise a bit more challenging. You’ll also have wounds that need to heal. While these wounds are not likely to be significant, you still need your body to heal. That is why in the earlier stages of recovery and weight loss, you may want to stay away from some exercises and speak to your doctor often about which exercises are best for you.

9 Great Exercises to Do Getting In or Out of Bed

When you are struggling with obesity or are highly overweight, it can be difficult to know where to start regarding exercise. It is important not to overdo it before starting to be physically active to avoid injury or overexertion.

Simple small steps that lead to further progress over time can be a great way to get your body used to being more active and many of them can be done without even leaving the house!

Since we all get in and out of bed every day, why not fit your exercise routine in with something that you do on a regular basis? Here are 9 great exercises you can do at home, possibly with no equipment, that will help to improve your overall health and well-being.

1. Bedside Crunches

This simple exercise is done before you even get out of bed. Simply follow these steps:

• Sit with your legs hanging off the side of the bed
• Lay back with your hands on the back of your head (you can place pillows under your lower back for support if this helps)
• Sit up and bring your elbows toward your knees and your ribs toward your hips
• Do a set of as many repetitions as you can, up to 30 reps, before moving to the next exercise

Note: You should feel your muscles contracting as you do this, and you can either allow yourself to rest before each crunch or maintain a constant resistance by keeping your back slightly above the bed when you go back down on each repetition.

If using your bed for this exercise cannot be done easily, simply find a clear spot on the ground and do some standard crunches.

2. Lateral Leg Lift

This is a great exercise for sculpting your legs and thighs that can be done with or without a resistance band. Here are the steps:

• Find a soft area of the ground, such as the carpet or a yoga mat
• Lay on your side and bring your lower hand up to support your head with your elbow resting on the ground
• Bend your lower leg at a 90-degree angle and rest your upper hand on the ground near your shoulder
• Lift your upper leg to the side, keeping it straight, and point your toes and knee slightly outward
• Do this exercise for up to 20 reps on each leg

Note: This exercise can be done with a resistance band designed to wrap around your upper legs if you feel additional resistance is needed.

3. Bedside Squats

This exercise is great for your lower back, upper legs & glutes. Simply follow these steps:

• Stand about 5 inches from the side of the bed with your feet a shoulder-width apart
• From there, squat until your butt just barely touches the mattress, and then return to a standing position
• Do this for a set of up to 25 reps before moving on to the next exercise

Note: If needed, you can rest your hands on your quads and use them to aid in the sitting and standing process. Doing so will provide additional support as you build up strength in your legs. You can also temporarily sit on the bed for a moment before returning to standing as you build up strength in your legs.

4. Doorknob Squat

If you have a good strong door with a dependable doorknob, this exercise can be a great additional way to work those legs! Here are the steps:

• Open the door and stand facing its side with your legs a shoulder-width apart
• Grab ahold of the doorknob on each side of the door with the appropriate hand
• Make sure that you can go into a squat that keeps your knees on your toes and with your back still straight as you go down
• Go down into a squat to where your thighs are parallel to the ground and then back into a standing position
• Repeat this motion for up to 20 reps

5. Calf Raises

This is a great way to work your calves, requiring no equipment. Here are some steps to doing this exercise:

• Stand upright, holding onto the frame of a doorway for support if needed for stability, feet placed firmly on the ground a shoulder-width apart
• Push the heels of your feet upward, keeping your toes and balls of your feet on the ground so that you feel your calves tense up
• Then lower your feet back to almost flat on the ground
• Repeat this motion for up to 30 reps

6. Counter or Chair Pushups

Pushups are a great way to work out your chest and biceps that can be done in various ways to build strength. Here are some steps to getting started in this exercise:

• Walk up to a counter or a chair that can serve as a stable surface area for your hands
• Place your hands on the counter or chair and lean into them, keeping your body straight
• Go into a pushup at a steady pace and then push back out to starting position
• This exercise can be done for up to 25 reps

Note: As you build up strength, you can move into standard pushups over time.

(Click here to check out a helpful post about more home exercises)

7. Tricep Pushups

Now that you’ve done standard pushups to target the chest, it’s time to move into various pushups that target your triceps. This helps to tighten up your arms and give them good shape. Here are the steps:

• Get on your hands and knees with your feet crossed over each other in the air so that the top of one is rested against the back of the ankle on the other
• Your arms should be a shoulder-width apart directly under the shoulders
• Go down into a pushup with your hands almost touching your shoulders as you bring your chest to the ground
• Push back up into an upright position
• Repeat this for up to 20 reps

8. Towel Curls

To really focus on those biceps, you can always grab a towel to help you out. Here are the steps:

• Create a sling with a towel and hook it under one of your feet (this can be done in a standing or lying position)
• Keeping your knee slightly bent, keep your hands grasped around the ends of the towel
• Curl your arms while using your leg to provide the desired resistance
• Pause briefly at the top of the motion before extending your arms again
• Repeat this for up to 20 reps

Note: Your upper arms should not move out of position during this exercise. Focus on bringing your hands (palms facing your chest) toward your shoulders.

You can change this up into hammer curls by bringing your hands toward your shoulders with thumbs facing your chest and palms facing each other.

9. Plank

Now it’s time to work on your core and overall body strength. Here are the steps:

• On a yoga mat or comfortable carpet, lay on your stomach
• Place your elbows below your shoulder at a shoulder-width apart place your hands out with the palms facing down into the ground
• Keep your feet close to or directly touching each other and lift yourself onto your toes, hands, and elbows
• Hold this position for up to 1 minute

Are the at-home bodyweight exercises that you enjoy doing and find effective? If so, share them in the comments below.

Building Healthy Lifestyle Habits

You must find types of exercise you truly enjoy. This may take a while. No exercise routine will pay off if you quit because you’re not having fun, which is why even something as simple as walking can have significant effects if the patient does it regularly for years to come.

Following bariatric surgery, exercise is just as important as eating fewer calories. Working out regularly will help you keep the weight off and build valuable muscle. It will also restore your sense of coordination, improve your physical health, and provide you with the weight loss and fitness goals you want.

Related:

• Gastric Sleeve Surgery Post-Operative Guidelines
• Yoga and Bariatric Surgery
• Gastric Sleeve Patient Turn Bodybuilder
• Woman Loses Half Her Weight with Gastric Sleeve to Be ‘Social Media Influencer’
• Build Muscle After Gastric Sleeve Surgery
• Easy at Home Exercises with NO Equipment Needed