recommended pre-op workout routine?

Hi, I"m not afraid of exercise (or food - which is why i'm in this predicament!) So I am looking to maximize my preop workouts. I have a home gym - Body Solid ( http://www.bodysolid.com/BSStrength/GymSystems/EXM2750S/EXM2750S.html ) with the added leg press station, plus a solid treadmill. I typically do an hour on the treadmill (5X a week) with heart rate around 130-135 (I'm 49, so depending on what formula you use this is between 70%-80% target rate). I also workout on the gym 3-4 times a week, focusing on a different area each workout, but I'll do stomach crunches each time. What would be recommended to minimize any health related WLS complications, and promote the fastest healing? I have heard that walking, deep breathing exercises (can you define?) are best, but I'm not sure what duration, heart rate, muscle groups to target, etc. Thanks! Zoli

Hi Zoli - I just wanted to say it is nice to see another person in the same situation as me that is already working out pre-op on a daily basis. I'm planning to stick with my current routine as much as possible up until the night before surgery - maybe just a walk day before since we can't eat prior. I also do cardio along with resistance training 6x a week when I am on a roll. My eating has always been the issue - large portions/too many calories, junk food once in a while, etc. I write out meal plans - have weeks where I do perfect then fall off the wagon so to speak. When I have had surgery in the past (breast reduction, myomectomy(abdominal procedure to remove a uterine fibroid) I just did my regular exercise program, made sure to take a good multivitamin, and tried to eat as healthy as possible. I found that I was able to bounce back faster than the average person and I believe it was due to my exericse program. I also found that my core strength was a huge help in getting out of bed at the hospital and moving around during the recovery process. Best of luck to you!! I'm still waiting for approval and go to my initial consult on 1/31. Stacy

Zoli, It looks like you do the same cardio routine 5 times a week (70-80%). I think your ready to do some "interval" training. Get a high HR for 1min 85% to 95%....then drop down to 60%. Do this several times.....This should be a short 20-30 min workout. On other days do some lower HR (fat burning) workouts 30min+ at 60%to 65%. Mix it up and try to hit all the HR zones. Keep in mind that your max HR is theoretical....so unless you have it clinically tested, you really are just guessing and going by feel. My theoretical HR max is 176(220-44). My tested actual max is 161. This is a pretty big difference. Your "actual" max may be above you "theoretical"....it just depends on your genetics and conditioning. HR is a guide line to use. I hope this was not too confusing. Good Luck....Keep it up.

Hi John, Great suggestion! I'll give that a try. Z

Hiya John, You know, I really question how to *accurately* determine my precise MHR to gauge interval training. My RHR is in the 50s, but I can workout for a long time and push my heart rate up to the 160s and more without even feeling winded, though it takes a while to get me up there, once I get up there I tend to hover up there in the 160s and 170s without being winded at all and it drops quickly afterward. I know you can try to calculate it based upon age, which would put me at 181 for MHR, but there are other ways to calculate that, too. Here's a link I found for ways to calculate it. The link is on the bottom of this page in a box that says, Heart Rate Calculator at a site called Heart Zones, which is Sally Edwards' site. Sally Edwards wrote the book called _The Heart Rate Monitor Book_ and has been a guest speaker on NPR before and other places, so I thought her viewpoint was interesting. http://www.heartzone.com/index.shtml Donna E. www.teklawgirl.biz