Exercise

As you know, morbid obesity is a disease with devastating medical, physical, social and psychological effects. The National Institute of Health has determined that weight-loss surgery combined with behavior modification is the most effective long-term solution to morbid obesity. Here we will discuss one component of behavior modification – exercise.

Exercise is a very important part of your weight-loss program. In fact, beginning and maintaining an exercise program is a part of the criteria to qualify you for weight-loss surgery. Some studies have shown that many people do quite well the first two years following surgery but maintaining the weight loss the next 6 years may sometimes be difficult. We are going to provide some guidelines for increased activity/exercise to help you maximize your surgical outcome.

First of all, exercise is NOT a four-letter word!

Benefits of Exercise

The benefits of exercise are many and well documented. Exercise benefits all the systems of the body and is an extremely important part of the new lifestyle in which you are choosing to participate.

Exercise helps to:

• Lower blood pressure
• Strengthen the heart and circulatory system
• Strengthen bones and muscles and decrease joint stiffness
• Lower blood sugar
• Increase endurance and energy
• Provide stress relief
• And most importantly - Help you lose weight and keep it off

Program Details

• You will receive an initial evaluation and orientation by our Physical Therapist and Fitness Instructor prior to starting your 4-week pre-op exercise program.
• Whether you choose to exercise at the gym, at home or elsewhere, you will be asked to document your daily 30 minutes of exercise which may be done in either small segments or a block of time. Everyone is different. You need to go at your pace.
• We will issue you a pedometer to help you record your walking distances in the walking logs we will provide you.
• The fitness instructor and physical therapist will follow you closely during this 4-week period. They will help to ensure that you are able to participate at the appropriate level of exercise.

Other Considerations

Our fitness instructor and physical therapist will help with advice regarding:

• Footwear
• Warm-up and cool-down exercises

Other fitness questions or problems:

• STOP - if you feel any pain, discomfort, or lightheadedness.
• Report any unusual symptoms to your doctor.

Call if you have any questions or concerns:

Chris – 789-5546, email: ckott@asante.org

Dee – 779-7640, email: dee@superiorathletic.com