Excercise & Motivation

if you weren't a frequent exerciser pre-surgery, where did you find your motivation afterwards?

I HATE to excercise.  I have been walking outside and some on the treadmill during this pre-op phase, but hate and dread it so much.

I know that excercise is a huge part of being successful...any tips?

Humm....I don't do anything unless I feel like I'm getting a reward.  When I noticed that I was emotionally feeling better and the scale was going down.  I made time for it everyday.  I'm a walker to.  However, I've gotten away from it for about 9 months...and boy have I paid for that mistake! I felt cruddy...then two weeks ago I got myself back on the treadmill at the gym and now I feel great.  I haven't lost any weight, but I feel better about myself.  At the end of the day, I feel like I have done something good for myself.  I'm also a HUGE country music fan so I listen to music when treading along.

My motivation pre-surgery was to lose some weight so surgery would go better, and I had to do it for my insurance to cover the cost of my surgery (talk about incentive!!). I started out by using a recumbant bike and then got a gym membership - after surgery it took me a while to get back in the saddle, and there are still times when its tough, but I know I always feel better for having done something.

Music is key for me - especially riding the bike or using the treadmill - invest in a good MP3 or iPod and load it with different work-out routines that you can create. I have dozens on mine now and I start wtth something slow to warm up and then pump up the music for a while, then a slow one to cool down again - pick anything you like - I have everything from oldies to country music!!

Good luck - you'll find your groove - it takes 4 to 6 weeks to create any habit, including good ones, so start out easy and work your way up. You can do it - you need to do it - and you'll feel better for it!

Kathy

Hi Denise,

Everyone has given you good information, I just want to say that from the information I received prior to surgery, the best results are had with a regime that includes exercise.  I started out with gym buddies to get myself there, now I make sure I always have a set of gym clothes in my car and go straight from work, in the warmer weather, I changed before I left work, now most of my buddies have either dropped out or go at different times than me, but I am still going.

While I've never come to love it, I am glad I listened because, for me, I don't think I'd have gotten the results I have without it, as I saw a noticeable change in the numbers when I increased or changed up what I did within working out.  I think the component that is necessary is not getting in a rut with either what you eat or how you move.  That being said, some days I do walking, most days I go to the gym, because for me, there are too many distractions at home, so other days I use the elliptical and treadmill, still others the row machine and not less than 2 days a week with weights and or cables (mostly 3 days).  My heart rate which used to be 85 to 88 at rest is now 62, I can run for a bus, train or if I need to without sweating or feeling like my heart is going to burst, I feel better about myself and it costs me about 10 hours a week timewise.

Sounds to me like you are preparing yourself to be "successing" for a long time.

Hugs, Laureen

i hated excercise and did not really do any real structured excercie after surgery.
But now i am over 2 years out. I know that i cannot keep my weight off if i dont. so that is why i do  it

Exercise was a dirty word in my vocabulary.  I was easily able to justify not doing it as my lifestyle is and continues to be so very busy.  I knew that I had to walk and I knew that in order to use the tool that Dr. Boe had given me- I 'should' do a little more than walk.   I started with walking.  By 5 - 6 weeks I started using the elpitcal.  I knew people who would go for 30 - 45 minutes at a snap.  I could go 1.5 minutes then had to stop and catch my breath.  After I caught it - I went another 1.5 minutes until I got 5 minutes in total (not including breaks).

I set small goals.  If i could get in those 5 minutes in the morning - then I could try again in the evening for another 5.  I remember my first WOW moment a couple of weeks later - when I got to 7 (or 8 ) whole minutes without stopping.  I began to set more and more little goals and took my time with them.

I learned that any weight training or anything really beyond the cardio should really wait until a good chunk of the bulk is gone (say 6 months or later).  At that point - when you start building your muscle - it helps to burn off more fat when you are doing your cardio.

So here comes the motivation part.  Do what makes you happy.  If you hate sit ups - find another way to work that part of your body (I love my ab lounger).  Set small goals for your self and try to keep them.  Remember this...it takes 21 days for an activity to become a habit.  Do it every day - take your time and in 3 weeks - it will be a habit.   There's more...

Exercising is HARD for everyone.  I find that its a mental thing for me when I start every morning.  The devil and angel in my head fight.  The voice tells me to go back to bed, crawl back under the covers, no need to do this today cuz I did it yesterday...but I keep going.  I have found that by the time I 'crack' the first bead of sweat - then the fighting in my head stops and I can finish whatever I am doing.  Afterwards - I always feel really good and glad that I did the work out.

I hope this helps.

Kim Z

Richard Simmons.

My butt would not move if it weren't for him. He saved my life.....seriously.