starting today on the treadmill

good morning,,,,,today is the day that i start on my treadmill. I am 8 days out and i feel like i can start...i have been active since my surgery although my bigger incision is still pretty sore....Can anyone help me on how they started on the treadmill...speed , time, etc....thanks,,you all hellp me so much..ciao

My first treadmill session after surgery was 5 minutes at 2.5 mph.  It only sounds impressive.  I'm kidding but after a few weeks of increasing the time and milage I was actually doing something.  Do what feels comfortable and a bit more then add some more tomorrow.

what the above poster said

you are going to LOVE it if you are anything like me. but i am a "slow as you go" sort of person and exercise came very slow to me. i didn't start until i was 27 months out of surgery. to be fair, i had several motnhs of moderate healing complcations and really didn't feel as if i could start "working out" soon. i couldn't even walk, really, after 8 days. i mean i could, but not on a treadmill

so i was late getting to it...but i got it. and its wonderful. i look forward now to seeing how much i can do, and how far i can go. i see some people here do 5k's, mini marathons, and one dude is like an iron man athlete and stuff

i don't know how much i can do, but at 44 doing just what i can feels great. and i am MUCH healthier then i was six months ago AND  losing weight. just from walking on the ttreadmill. that is extraordinary for me

when i started i was at 2.8mph "warm up" speed for a 30 to 40min workout. in that time, i would work up to 3.8mph after 12 to 15 mins. that felt "fast."

now i START at 3.8mph (my previous workout speed) and work up to a very comfortable 4.6mph with a 10-15 min incline in a 50min workout. i can also go 4.8mph with good form, and hope to be jogging / running soon. my cardio conditioning is much imroved, weight is coming off, and i love the activity. its very different then what i was doing before surgery. and i like it. no...LOVE it

i am so happy for you! you are starting something GREAT.  good luck

Take it SLOW ... and be sure to stay hydrated!   Listen to your body more than you ever have.  Break your "workout" up into smaller segments throughout the day.   Enjoy!!

Hi Noelle!

First of all, looks like you made a great choice in docs . . . Dr. A is my doc, too, and I love the way he approaches the band, giving him a very high success rate.

Regarding the treadmill, I started by just walking maybe 3.0 or 3.5 MPH for about 20 - 30 minutes at first.  Over the weeks following surgery, I continued to increase both the speed and the time.  After a few months, I started running - VERY slow running at first, maybe 4.0 to 4.5 MPH - for half a mile, then a mile, etc.  Again, I started very slow and then increased both my speed and my time (and mileage) with the running.

Two recos that I would have for you is:  (1) get really good running shoes, even if you are just walking, because they make all the difference in the world and (2) it's perfectly OK to walk the weight off by walking fast and using steep inclines and longer times to increase intensity.

Best of luck and feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about the exercise, the Realize band, or Dr A.