Pre-operative Goals
STRENGTH TRAINING
GOAL: Strength train 3x/week. Ideally starting at least 3 months prior to surgery to help boost your pre-operative muscle mass.
CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
GOAL: Cardiovascular training 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week.
EAT PROTEIN
GOAL: Try to meet your daily protein goals set by your doctor and/or nutritionist. In order to build muscle you must perform strength training AND eat enough protein.
GET SOME GEAR
You don’t need a fancy gym membership or tons of equipment too meet your exercise goals, but there are some things that I highly recommend to buy.
GOOD SHOES: At a heavier weight it is important to have shoes that provide good shock absorption and arch support (if you need it). This will reduce the impact on your joints and help prevent injury. I generally recommend Brooks and Hokas, but everyone is different. If you can get a footwear assessment at a local shoe shop. If you are in the Raleigh Area, I recommended going to Sole Dimensions for an evaluation.
ANKLE, HAND WEIGHTS, RESISTANCE BANDS: Small ankle and hand weights, or resistance bands can be sufficient for strength training. I like these adjustable sets from Amazon.
HEART-RATE MONITOR/PEDOMETER: A great way to track your activity level and cardiovascular fitness!
DEXA SCAN
If you can, getting a DEXA scan prior to surgery will give you baseline measurements of bone density, fat mass and muscle mass. It is a fun way to track, not just how much weight you lose, but what you are losing. We want to maximize muscle mass preservation!
Osteoporosis, or “weak bones”, can develop if a person is calcium deficient. A DEXA scan will check your bone density. After weight loss surgery, you are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis due to vitamin deficits. Two ways to combat this are 1) Taking your post-op vitamins as prescribed and 2) Performing exercise and weight bearing activities.