6 Weeks Post-Op...How to start incorporating exercise?

I'm almost 6 weeks post op.  I'm at a bit of a stall, and I know it's because I'm still not exercising.  I am still pretty tired and weak, and have been working my best to get my protein in.  

Question is: What do you guys suggest to start with exercise wise?   Something low impact?  I don't have access to a gym right now, so I've just been taking my 3 year old to the playground and running around with him instead of sitting and watching.  Today we are going to the zoo, so I will get some exercise walking.  I guess I just need something more concrete "exercise" so I can check that off my to do list each day.

Thanks!

Exercise is like 5% of weight loss.  You're stalled because people stall, not because you're not exercising.  

That said, this is how I started with exercise -

The first day I walked, the day I got home from surgery, I walked 5 minutes.  I increased by 5 minutes every day until I could walk for 30 minutes.  

Then I switched to walking on a treadmill, and walking three days a week.  I kept increasing my 5 minutes every workout until I could do an hour.  

At that point, I was 6 weeks out, so I was able to start working on my speed.  I had started at 2mph with a 1% incline, and I worked to increase my mph by .1 each workout.  Until I finally got to 3.5mph.  

At about that point, I started running.  This was 3 months post-op.  I started a 5k training plan and that's what I'm still doing.  Three days of training for a 5k each week.  But I switched to running outside in September and haven't gone back to the treadmill.  Running outside is amazing.  I weighed about 255 when I started running.  

So that's one side of my exercise.  The other side is fitness classes.  My local community college offers a ton of fitness classes and you can go to as many as you want for about $30/month.  Amazing cost.  I started with yoga, tai chi, and pilates.  Now I also do zumba, bhangra, and water aerobics.  Just like the running, it's a slow ramping up process.  The best way to injure yourself is to try to do too much too soon.  

Thanks for your response!  I will look into colleges around my area to see if they offer anything similar.  Thanks!

Hello Jenwild,

If you have no time to go for gym then don't worry about it because I think running is very healthy for your exercise. If you manage at your home you can play table tennis and walking will not be very helpful for your body. One very deep line I must to say, Health is wealth. So please take care your health as a first importance.

Walking is a good way to start, bike riding is good too & it's low impact. Maybe getting a bike for the house would be good on the days when the weather is not. Maybe getting exercise DVD's?, not sure which ones to get, but sometimes on cable they have an exercise class, you'd have to look it up to see which channel it's on & record it for later.

I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor.  Polar makes a good one and you can even find blue tooth compatible straps that can be used with your cell phone and various apps.

At my 6 month follow up, the doctor asked about my exercise and was I making sure I was getting my heart rate up.  She was happy to hear I was using one.  I told her I have had to start running more as even walking at a fast pace(for me), was not getting my heart rate above 120.  I do have to be careful because after running for a short period, 30-60 seconds, my heart rate gets too high and I have to go back to walking.  Right now I run for 30-45 seconds and walk for about a minute until my heart rate goes below 140.

I am almost 52 so my max heart rate is going to be lower than yours.

My FitBit has been really helpful in keeping me honest with exercise. It will send you emails, let you know when you're getting close to your goals for the day, etc.  

You follow my suggestion or not. Please let me know about you.

Do something you enjoy. Walking and playing with your kid is a great way to start! A lot of people lose muscle mass with surgery... if they don't get in enough protein and work on maintaining their muscle mass then they get that wasted, sickly look and become weaker than before surgery. It's because they didn't get enough protein in and because they didn't maintain their strength. Just make sure you get in enough protein and vitamins number one. Do some kind of weight bearing activity like walking and gradually do some kind of toning as you are able and get the strength and agility and flexibility (this will come in time)... for me I started with the elliptical because my knees hurt too bad walking, and I did water aerobics at my local YMCA. I also did water jogging. The water aerobics was actually a really good workout. I worked my way up to yoga. Then zumba. Then lifting weights.

Go on a walk to break up your work day. Sitting in front of your desk for eight hours, or even longer, is not good for your health, posture or stress level. Getting up every few hours to take a short stroll outside will get you burning some calories and will keep you calmer. If you're walking downstairs to grab a chocolate bar, this isn't going to do the trick. But taking a 10 or 20 minute brisk walk (and possibly buying a healthy snack, like an apple) is a great way to get you out of your desk chair and moving. Bring a work friend to vent and catch up.

Speaking of friends, get a gym buddy. Make a goal with a friend to work out together because that way when you try to talk yourself out of going to the gym, you won't only be letting yourself down but also your bud. Other people can be great motivation to hold you to your plan and prevent you from steering off course. You can also set rewards together, such as a shopping date or concert tickets, once you both reach a certain goal.