Before starting an exercise program, always check with your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise and to make sure there are no contraindications for you to begin a program.

Top 10 Reasons to Start an Exercise Program after Gastric Bypass Surgery:

1) Regular exercise has been proven to help mood. Exercise can help lift depression and decrease anxiety. It releases natural chemicals into the brain that help reduce depression and anxiety.

2) Cardiovascular exercise helps keep down stress. After a good workout, people feel less angry, stressed and irritable.

3) Cardiovascular exercise reduces the incidence of cardiac problems. The resting heart rate for most people is between 60 to 80 beats per minute. If you’re sedentary or out of shape, the resting heart beat can be as much as 100 beats per minute. Professional athletes may have a resting heart rate as low as 30bpm. Why is this?

Because regular exercise makes the cardiovascular system more efficient. A steady exercise program reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps prevent cardiac problems. This is especially important to make sure your system fully recovers after gastric bypass surgery.

4) Exercise reduces the risk of osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. When women reach menopause, their hormones change, causing vulnerability to osteoporosis, but if they are in a regular exercise program, they’re much less likely to have bone loss. Exercise to prevent osteoporosis needs to be consistent, and needs to progress in intensity. When the exercise becomes easy, do harder exercise!

This is especially important for bariatric patients, because of the dangers of malnutrition and malabsorption after lapband surgery. A standard bariatric multi-vitamin may or may not be enough to take care of your bone-mass needs when you exercise. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor and find out if you should take a bariatric calcium supplement.

5) Exercise makes your body look better. While you’re losing weight, you need to do everything you can to help your muscle tone. Exercise will help decrease fatty tissue and builds strength.

6) Regular exercise will make you more energetic. Being stronger and more fit will let you do more in your daily life.

7) Exercise can help reduce the incidence of breast cancer. The chances of getting breast cancer are reduced by a regular exercise program, because it causes positive changes to your hormones.

Weight lifting exercise builds strength while cardiovascular exercise builds stamina. Fit people can get more done in life because they don’t tire out fast.

9) You burn more calories in a day if you have more lean muscle mass. The calories you burn during exercise are only part of the benefit you get from cardiovascular exercise. People with more muscle actually burn more calories.

10) Your body burns calories at a faster rate after exercise than before, even when you’re done exercising. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you’re done.

Post gastric bypass surgery, you need to clear a new program with your doctor and start of slowly. Check with your physician before starting any exercise program to make sure that you’re healthy enough for exercise.

Here are 10 great reasons to start an exercise program after weight loss surgery:

1) Regular exercise has been proven to help mood. Exercise can help lift depression and decrease anxiety. Research shows that exercise increases endorphins that help boost mood.

2) Cardiovascular exercise helps keep down stress. After a good workout, people feel less angry, stressed and irritable.

3) Cardiovascular exercise reduces the incidence of cardiac problems. Most people have an average resting heart rate between 60-80bpm. If you’re sedentary or out of shape, the resting heart beat can be as much as 100 beats per minute. But in trained athletes, the resting heart rate can be as low as 30 beats per minute. Why is this?

The heart is a muscle and just like any muscle, it is strengthened through exercise. A steady exercise program reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps prevent cardiac problems. This is especially important to make sure your system fully recovers after bariatric surgery.

4) Regular exercise improves muscle tone. As you lose weight, you want to do all you can to improve and enhance muscle tone. Exercise will help decrease fatty tissue and builds strength.

5) Increased energy levels. Being stronger and more fit will let you do more in your daily life.

6) Exercise can help reduce the incidence of breast cancer. Exercise changes the levels of some female hormones that have been linked with breast cancer.

7) Weight lifting exercise builds strength while cardiovascular exercise builds stamina. Fit people can get more done in life because they don’t tire out fast.

You burn more calories in a day if you have more lean muscle mass. The calories you burn during exercise are only part of the benefit you get from cardiovascular exercise. People with more muscle actually burn more calories.

9) Your body burns calories at a faster rate after exercise than before, even when you’re done exercising. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you’re done.

10) Exercise after weight loss surgery reduces the risk of osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. When women reach menopause, their hormones change, causing vulnerability to osteoporosis, but if they are in a regular exercise program, they’re much less likely to have bone loss. Exercise to prevent osteoporosis needs to be consistent, and needs to progress in intensity. As you get more fit, increase the intensity of the exercise!

If you’re out of shape, start off slowly on a new exercise program. Walking is usually the best exercise to start to develop a healthier lifestyle that includes healthy physical activity.