Question:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a safe treadmill speed for post-ops?

I'm a month post-op and roughly 220 lbs. I plan to begin going to the gym next week. While I don't want to over do it, I don't want to under do it either. Should I expect to go at a moderate speed for a long length of time or a slow speed for a long length of time? What's the average timeframe for a new post-op to exercise? Just so you know, I was in decent shape before surgery and could easily do 30 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph. I just want to set a realistic expecation for myself. I appreciate any input.    — L F. (posted on April 2, 2001)

April 2, 2001
Trust yourself. If you only go 1.5 mph and get winded in 5 minutes, that's OK. Don't feel you have to hurry to get up to or exceed your old speed or distance. Don't even try to go fat-burning or cardio when you're just starting out. You can keep the speed slow and just elevate the ramp to get your heartbeat up. When and wherever it starts to hurt; your incision, your chest, your thigh muscles, hip/knee/ankle joints, calf or foot muscle cramps; stop. Build up your stamina and condition your body at slow speeds before moving on to a fat-burning or cardio routine.
   — blank first name B.

April 3, 2001
I do 30 minutes at 3.3 mph and I'm a year postop. It took me a while to build up to this though. You may do better than I am, long term, cause I have Fibromyalgia. Listen to your body and you'll do fine.
   — Cindy H.