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dragracingwife,
I would suggest a variety of small activities. This will keep you from getting bored and increase your ability to move overall.
Try a variety adding slowly to what you are able to do and replacing one of your walks with a different exercise. (for 7-10 days) works for me. I suspect you need leg strengthening with little impact for knees and hips to begin. So these are what i did when at my heaviest and to increase balance.
Start with what you currently do... If you can walk 5 minutes i would do that , for 5 minutes- 4x / day. as you are able- add one minute , at least 2x a week.This can include walking to the mail box, or walking a dog,or doing laps in the living room, or thru the house..Just don't stop til the time is up each time..Remember You are to begin with what YOU CAN do NOW. The most important thing i was taught was to split all exercise time up so that i do something morning and night...to get and keep metabolism up..
sit in a straight chair and do ankle circles( both directions , start with 3 each way, ankle pushes( like mashing on a gas pedal and retracting...) and leg lifts from knee down and progress up as you are able...
can also hold to straight, standing and do leg circles. concentrate on making the heel make a 8 inch (progress a 12 inch circle).. do each leg equally. Again start with 3 each direction each leg.. You can also begin strengthening to upper legs by placing your feet apart same as hips and slightly bending knee.. slowly going back to full height.. The key to all of these exercises is to make changes in positions -slowly and use your weight to strengthen your muscles. building muscle will enable faster fat loss..and increase ability to move easier. .
Add deep breathing exercises.. Making sure to inhale deeply and fully and exhale the same extent. slow and steady... concentrate on the breathing.. It is one way our body rids its self of toxins.
start doing arm exercises. start with your fists, with arms fully extenended to your sides at shoulder level... hold them out and test how long you can hold them... the when that time is up, or nearly so do one forward circle with your fists, and one backward circle with them.. build on what you can do... when these get "too easy"..add a 15 ounce can of veggies to each hand and continue on.
..I would add isometrics at bedtime. to do them you begin with laying down in a comfortable position. starting with feet, SLOWLY tense the muscles of your feet and hold them for 3-5 seconds,then slowly release repeat for 3 times to start... gradually increase to 8. tthen after those are done progress up the legs in muscular sets doing the same.- continue up the body....ending with the facial muscles. Then i am ready for sleep.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I used to walk five miles at a time. It was fun and enjoyable. But as I got older it became harder to walk and my feet, legs, knees, and ankles et sore. I start to feel out of breath and want to sit down and rest.
The swimming pool and now recumbent bike have made exercise fun and pain free for me again. When people advise others that walking is the best exercise, they are correct if walking does not hurt. When an exercise routine causes pain, it is always abandoned.
Even though I am within 10 pounds of my goal weight, my body is older and I had to make the adjustments needed to keep exercising and not be in pain.

Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I am only a little over a year post op and in the beginning, I did not log my food or exercise. I started having some issues with a bit of regain right after lockdowns and when they opened things back up I went to the bar with buddies a lot and the weight was creeping back up. I got a handle on that and started tracking everything so I would stick to eating right. It has helped me a lot and I really wish I had done it from day one. So my answer to you is ABSOLUTELY. Do it and don't stop. It will help you become successful and stay successful.
Like you, I was well over 400 lbs and I had issues with walking. The pain it caused was hard and my doctor told me to refrain from putting too much stress on my knees and ankles until I could get to a weight that enabled me to stand and walk for longer periods of time without pain. So I would totally disagree with the one reply that you should walk.I KNOW how hard that is. My surgeon told me to do things that would get my heart rate up, but not put a lot of stress on my knees and ankles. Those included chair exercises. I used resistance bands for both upper and lower bodies while sitting in a chair. I also was very lucky to have access to a pool so I spent a lot of time walking and then swimming in the pool. I would highly recommend the chair exercises with a resistance band. You can find some videos on youtube that are specifically for that or you can just pump up the music and go at it. Once you start losing weight you should be able to go longer and then start incorporating some minimal walking to see how your lower body handles that.
I do the same thing. The only person that I have to be better than is the person I was yesterday. Adding a couple of extra steps a day is doable and adds up to miles over time.
I'm 8 years into the wls surgery journey and I exercise daily. My go to is, and always will be, simple walking steps. Any number of steps, and just add a few more over time.
There are some good ideas mentioned here. Just start easy so you don't overdo it. Also, don't come down hard on yourself. It's the beginning stages of your journey and you're a work in progress.
I find exercise in a swimming pool the most helpful. Since I am afraid of the community pools with COVID, I have switched to a Nordic Track recumbent bike with the iFit program. It is great exercise and does not leave any sore muscles.
Get the largest screen that they offer and buy the iFit package. Consider it an investment in your future health. I bought the R35 with the 14" screen. I would have liked a bigger screen and really glad I did not try to save and buy the 7" screen. The iFit programs have beautiful scenery and trainer adjusts the resistance level to match the ride. When you are going uphill, there is more resistance then going downhill. It will adjust to your fitness level and make the ride fun and enjoyable.
Nordic Track offered same as cash financing for 39 months. I ended up with a $70 per month payment. That included iFit, in home assembly and in home service package.

Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
on 1/16/22 8:48 am, edited 1/16/22 1:05 am
Walk ! Im totally serious Babe its absolutely th best exercise you can do .
Your hips your knees are set up 2 help U . Theyre super strong .
Even a ten minute walk will REALLY help U to stay healthy and lose amazing amounts of excess weight! ((()))hugs
What are some easy exercise I can do weight over 500 pounds, I have hard time walking and moving. I just want to know what are some exercises I can do to improve my health.








