Does exercise get easier?

YES!!!  As someone who started out at 550lbs and could barely walk from the car to my office, it gets MUCH easier!!!  I LOVE it too.  Even at 445lbs I love going to the gym.  I still don't do a whole lot of cardio, mostly strength building (running is out and walking puts a strain on my knees hips) but I do try and start out with a minimum of 1/4 mile on a treadmill at about 2.5mph (the first day I got on it I could barely do 2mins!)  Since surgery I have walked an entire  mile without stopping.  It is still hard, but it's not so hard to recover.  My husband and I try and go to the gym at least 3 times a week and I actually find myself missing it when we can't go.  Today for example, I am sick, but I really wanted to go to the gym but couldn't.  My exercise before sleeve was simply functioning daily.  I have so much more energy now it's insane.  Everyone says how it is and I never believed them, how could I possibly at 500lbs have energy?!  But I do!  I like just going for walks with my husband, we go to museums now for fun and can walk around for an hour or so with out a break whereas before I would need a break just going grocery shopping.  We get up at 5 or 6 on the weekends just to go to the gym.  Even when I am sore the next day its never unbearable.  Even going to the gym at 6am I am ready to go again after about noon.  It really is a different world.  

Good luck!!!!!

p.s. if you're bored and want to see my day by day experiences post op, my blog is in my signature.  I know I have documented all the crazy amounts of energy I have now!

Thank you! You're a great motivator, I will definitely be checking out your blog

 Yes!  Didn't do it at all
                Started the process of seeking WLS
                        Started to exercise just a little, but hated it
                                   Slowly added exercise in prior to surgery, but still not enough and still hated it
                                           Now, it totally bums me out if I can't do my nightly walk :)

I always felt good AFTER I exercised (pre sleeve) but I still had to talk myself into going the next time.

I've lost 39 lbs in under 3 months and I had missed 3 weeks of going to the gym due to some family cir****tances so on my first day back at the gym I thought I'd have to get back into it slowly but I had actually lost several more pounds and I was RUNNING...EASILY....faster than I ever had and for a longer duration. Couldn't believe it, me? RUNNING?!?!?!

So yes, I still have to sort of "make" myself go but I enjoy it more, it's easier, and I feel better in my gym clothes. I also catch glimpses of myself in those dang gym mirrors and guess what? I didn't look away quickly because I was disgusted with my appearance! That's a plus, right?! Oh and my knees, ankles and back don't hurt like they used to.

Is 30-40 minutes of cardio 3-4 times per week a bad thing? 

I never hated it, unless I had a psycho trainer.  I find it much easier now. My stamina is better. I'm a lot stronger. There is less aches and pain. My joints are much happier. I enjoying improving from week to week. 

It is not all or nothing.  3-4 days per week is a good pattern. I used to say that I worked out 6 days per week. If I did 5, I thought that I failed. All or nothing is a form of sabotage and self-degradation.  Now, I say at least 4 days per week, but 5 days is my goal.   Because I am fitter, I am more intense. So if I had a really strenuous 3 days of workouts but missed a day due to work drama. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

I do 40-60 minutes of cardio- depending on intensity and whether I plan to do strengthening exercises afterwards.  The more strenuous, the shorter the time.

It's a part of my day now.

If it gets easier, you're not working out hard enough.  It's good to be out of breath and have your muscles burn.  That's how exercise is supposed to feel.

Once you develop the habit, it gets easier to make yourself do it, and once you start progressing in your fitness level, you will feel proud instead of discouraged.  The key is to keep pushing yourself.  That Nike slogan is the world's most perfect slogan:  Just do it!

Prior to surgery I did absolutely zero exercise.  At three months post-op I started walking on the treadmill 30min/5dys a week.  Now at 16 months post-op I work out 7 hours/week.  And love it!

For me I want my body to be strong with a lot of definition (read:MUSCLES).  I never miss a workout!

Good luck with your surgery,

Jennifer

I have never been a fan of working out.  During the pre op time I bought a Leslie Sansone indoor walking DVD and started doing that to try to start moving without having to be around other people. The one I got you could walk 1 mile through five miles but I started with one.   I still like doing those DVD's but I am also now going to the gym and working out five days a week and don't feel self conscious and have so much energy. Just start small and make it a daily habit.  Good luck on your journey!

Other than walking, I rarely exercised prior to surgery. I started a few months after surgery. I found that I really enjoy it and miss it when I can't go. It's time for me, no family there to demand my attention. LOL

One of the benefits of surgery that I didn't really expect was the increase in self-confidence and willingness to do things I never did before because of my weight. I am a different person than I was...different in a good way. I suspect many WLS patients feel the same way.