After Weight Loss Surgery

Starting a Gym Routine

yoga ball and exercise bands on a blue yoga mat

You’ve done it. You made a monumental decision and took the first giant step in changing your life. You’ve turned it upside down. You just had weight loss surgery, and now, you must keep walking the path. It’s simple enough to say, but of course, harder to do…physical activity. Walking. Swimming. Lifting weights. Hitting the gym.

A concept you’ve heard a lot by now is that weight loss surgery is just a “tool.” It will be instrumental in helping you lose weight and transition into a healthier lifestyle, but it’s just one part of the equation.

You MUST get into an exercise routine.

Exercise is key to achieving and maintaining weight loss. There are numerous benefits to working out, but maybe the most significant is being able to transform your metabolism, ultimately leading to an increased capacity to burn calories even at rest.

You may not have considered that this part of the journey will be mostly mental.
What does that mean? You need to motivate yourself. You need to stay motivated. Being active is about the journey, not the destination, and it’s a journey that, when done right, never truly ends. Start moving. Move around more and more while you strengthen your dedication to this new way of life. Make physical activity a habit. It’s said that habits are formed by doing something for 21 straight days. Do some activity every day, and it will become second nature.

Creating habits requires tremendous mental strength and determination. Getting fit may require more of this than usual, especially for an individual who may have spent a large portion of their life sedentary and unmotivated. Sure, there are numerous psychological tactics and methods to improve mental toughness, but for YOU – the person that’s already decided to change their life – it will be much easier.

Leverage your mission, and new life purpose, as a powerful source of motivation. Apply that inspirational feeling and energy to your daily mindset, and it will flow into your body, creating “get fit” physical habits.

Planning for the Gym

It would be best if you had a plan when first going to the gym. When you walk through those doors, you need to be prepared and know what to take on. But, with this in mind – especially after weight loss surgery, you need to temper your expectations and create a plan that allows you to create your foundation and work into a routine.

Sounds scary, but the answer is to jump right in. Just go to the gym and get acquainted with it, even if you don’t do any activity that first day. Then, start going day after day. Soon, it will become familiar and the discomfort of a new routine and other awkward feelings about being in a gym for the first time – or the first time in a long time – will dissipate.

Slowly but surely, your mindset will improve. Your mood will improve; your thoughts will become more focused as your vision and mission solidify. And, along with the mind, the body will follow. Soon, you may be doing things you haven’t done for years or decades.

Big decisions. Big changes. New choices. New gym routines. New YOU.

Keep on your path to success!