To prepare well for obesity surgery, you need to move more. Walking, systematic exercise and training will strengthen the body before bariatric surgery, as well as help you lose weight and build new movement habits. We advise on how to properly increase physical activity before bariatric surgery.

Obesity and joints

Obesity is not only a serious disease in itself, but also leads to about 50 other serious accompanying diseases, the so-called obesity complications. In the first places, doctors mention type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the digestive system, cancer, as well as diseases of the osteoarticular system. Among the latter, people with obesity most often suffer from osteoarthritis of the hip (coxartrosis), osteoarthritis of the knee (gonarthrosis) and degeneration of the spine (most often the lumbar), as well as discopathies and other diseases of the intervertebral disc. Excessive body weight also contributes to the formation of valgus knees, flat feet and other overload pain syndromes of the musculoskeletal system.

Obesity and physical condition

Excessive adipose tissue, which is a symptom of obesity, overloads the joints, which leads to damage and degeneration of the articular cartilage that builds the joints. In damaged joints, sharp bone growths, the so-called osteophytes. They cause pain and limit the mobility of the joint. These ailments worsen with movement. The patient unknowingly shifts the center of gravity of the body, escaping the pain, which in turn contributes to excessive overload and, as a result, faster degeneration of subsequent joints. Overloaded joints are also more prone to microdamages and mechanical injuries, e.g. ligament ruptures, sprains of the ankle and knee joints. They often happen during everyday activities, such as going down stairs. As a result, obese people often give up any physical activity. Lack of exercise, in turn, leads to the development of obesity and thus the patient is stuck in a closed circle.

Bariatric surgery is a modern method of surgical treatment of the disease2nd degree obesity(with other diseases)andobesity grade III . Bariatric surgery is a major surgical procedure. A person suffering from obesity is often burdened with many accompanying diseases that disrupt the work of many systems, including the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Thus, the body of such a patient regenerates slower than that of a he althy person.

The weakening of the body after bariatric surgery can be compared to the weakening of the body that has just run a marathon, i.e. 42 km. This is why for planned surgical procedures, such as bariatric surgery, the body must be physically prepared in the best possible way so that it can withstand such a great effort. The point is not for the patient to become an athlete, but simply to start moving more.

More exercise before bariatric surgery. How will it help?
  • You will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the body. You will learn how it reacts to movement - what causes you pain, why and in what situations (e.g. back pain after sitting in a low chair for a long time). You will learn not to lead to such situations and react to them appropriately, so that you do not give up regular physical activity due to pain.
  • You will give your body a "signal" to draw energy from "stores", i.e. adipose tissue, and not from the muscles that you constantly use. You will lose less muscle tissue when you lose weight after surgery. You'll also be stronger and less sore.
  • You will prepare the circulatory and respiratory systems for general anesthesia - this is the so-called anti-embolic and anticoagulant prophylaxis.
  • You will clear the lymphatic system, reducing the risk of edema, which could slow down the process of early activation after surgery.
  • You will mute diseases - those related to the musculoskeletal system and others, so that they do not react after the surgery, when you are losing weight at a rapid pace.
  • You will change your movement habits, which will allow you to be active immediately after the surgery. On the first so-called standing up, i.e. getting out of bed, doctors will allow you 2-3 hours after the procedure. In the following hours you will have to do breathing and anticoagulation exercises.
  • You will reduce your body weight to the level set by the surgeon that allows for safe bariatric surgery. The less adipose tissue on the internal organs, the greater the visibility of the so-called operating field. The surgeon can then perform the procedure easier and faster, thanks to which you will be under general anesthesia for a shorter time and you will recover faster from the operation.

Before bariatric surgery - physical activity plan

Strengthening the body's capacity before bariatric surgery cannot be violent.By squeezing out sweat in the gym a few days before the procedure, you can only lead to injuries to your body, or to more serious consequences of excessive body stress, e.g. a heart attack. Introduce and increase physical activities in stages and systematically, several months before the surgery. This should be a time to prepare for the procedure, not just waiting for it. Use it wisely so that the effects of the surgery are better and last longer. A physiotherapist or a physiotherapist with whom the hospital that performs bariatric surgeries cooperates will help you. However, there are still few hospitals that offer patients comprehensive preoperative care. So we advise you how you can prepare yourself physically for a bariatric surgery.

Do you want to start moving more before your surgery? A special plan will help you with this. In the regular calendar, under each day of the week (also on weekends and holidays), enter the items that are part of the correct schedule of physical activity, and thus of a he althy lifestyle.

  • diet
  • steps
  • gymnastics
  • skin moisturizing
  • workout

Step 1: diet

Physical effort will have no effect if it is not combined with a properly balanced diet. A patient who is preparing for bariatric surgery is advised to switch to a reduced calorie diet. A detailed diet schedule will help you prepare a bariatric dietitian. If you do not have access to such a specialist …

Read also:What and how to eat before a bariatric surgery. A dietician advises you on how to prepare for a bariatric surgery.

Step 2: steps

Start by walking more to increase your body's efficiency. You don't have to go for kilometer walks right away. Especially if you haven't moved too much before. Start with simple solutions. Leave the phone and computer in another room, place the glass with the drink on a piece of furniture in the other corner of the room, park the car a few meters away from the entrance. In order to use all these items, you will then take a few more steps than usual. Remember to do this regularly and daily. In this way, you will start to change movement habits, which will not only improve the body's efficiency, but also increase its tolerance to exercise. Each day you will feel that you can move more without discomfort. The body weight begins to decrease, and the body is well-oxygenated and nourished when we regularly, every day, perform about 10 thousand. steps and follow a balanced diet. But with ailmentsjoints and other ailments, such a result may be unattainable. The pedometer can help you monitor the number of steps you took during the day and your body's response to exercise. Always have it with you, every step is important. Don't compare yourself with others. Remember that you adjust the number of steps to your body and improve your own results.

Read also:Pedometer - how it works and why you should use it.

Step 3: gymnastics

Regular, daily (at least 5 times a week) gymnastics before bariatric surgery includes three types of exercise:

  • general condition(e.g. lie on your back, put your arms alongside your body, bend your legs at the knees, then lift your hips up and tighten your buttocks; if you have difficulty lifting your hips - just tighten their muscles and "mark" the lifting movement)
  • breathing(eg sit on the bed with legs down and taking a deep breath raise your arms up, then exhale while lowering your arms down. Do this exercise 10 times. Remember that to inhale the air deeply with the nose, and exhale for a long time with the mouth. Try to breathe with the diaphragm.)
  • anticoagulant(e.g. sit on a chair, straighten up by touching the back of the chair tightly with your back, straighten your right leg, lift it up, put it on the ground, then do the same with with the left leg - do the exercise 10 times)

You can do the exercises yourself at home. But you can also sign up for rehabilitation. Ask your doctor at the clinic to issue a referral to a rehabilitation clinic. However, we warn you that the queues for rehabilitation reimbursed by the National He alth Fund are long. There may be times when you sign up for a class before a bariatric surgery and enter after the procedure. Then they will also be indicated, so it is worth taking advantage of this option.

Read also:7 exercise rules for obese: the best workouts and exercise sets Exercises while sitting for very obese people - home training

Step 4: skin hydration

Use daily moisturizing and firming creams. For example, those used by pregnant women. Thanks to embalming, your skin will become more supple and shrink better when you start to lose weight quickly after bariatric surgery. Take special care of your stomach, buttocks, breasts, arms and legs. Especially the places at the knees and on the thighs, because that's where you like to collect excess skin, creating ugly bags or folds. Therefore, for a good effect, it is worth starting skin moisturizing several months before the treatment.

Step 5: training

Exceptstep up and exercise, spend more time doing more intense workouts three times a week. First, adjust their duration to your efficiency, and then systematically increase it. Effective training should last min. half an hour with the maximum involvement of as many muscles as possible. Choose activities that will not put additional strain on your joints - e.g. Nordic walking, cycling, swimming, aquacycling (cycling in the water), aquaerobics (water gymnastics).

Read also:Nordic walking for beginners. How to ride a bike to lose weight? Aquacyckling - the advantages of pedaling under water. Aqua Aerobic, or water gymnastics. For training at home, you can use sports equipment such as stationary bikes, rehabilitation rotors and elliptical cross trainers. You can combine home workouts with various other activities - e.g. while watching TV.

This will be useful to you

Marta Waszkiewicz- MA in physiotherapy, specialist in medical physiotherapy, expert of the CHLO Bariatric Patient Association, lecturer at the Postgraduate Education Center of the Military Institute of Medicine (WIM) and Med-school. She deals with obese patients before and after bariatric surgeries at the Military Institute of Medicine at ul. Szaserów in Warsaw, as well as in the "BodyClinic" Specialist Medical Clinic. He also conducts educational workshops as part of the bLife project: "Życie po sleeve / Życie po gastric by pass" " Stick to the rules - I plan the whole week, but I settle accounts for one day. Do not cover yourself with excuses that work is disturbed, that children are disturbing, that it is too hot, that it is snowing. Learn to plan your day so that external difficulties do not disturb it. Choose activities that give you pleasure, calm down your illnesses and shape your body at the same time. Remember that even if you manage to redeem 2-3 points a day, you are already winning! Physical activation is not a race for a cup and sports titles. Small changes, introduced on a regular basis, are already a success. The most important thing is that you regain control over your body, and therefore your life, step by step. Remember what Wojciech Oczko, the court physician of the kings Stefan Batory and Sigismund III Vasa, often used to say: movement can replace almost any medicine, but no medicine can replace movement".

Important

Poradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity. This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content of people suffering from obesity.

About the authorMagdalena Gajda A specialist in obesity disease and obesity discrimination of people with diseases. President of the Obesity Patients FoundationOD-WAGA, Social Ombudsman for the Rights of People with Obesity in Poland and Poland's representative in the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity. By profession - a journalist specializing in he alth issues, as well as a PR, social communication, storytelling and CSR specialist. Privately - obesity since childhood, after bariatric surgery in 2010. Starting weight - 136 kg, current weight - 78 kg.

Category:

Obesity