Just keep moving: how to ease back into fitness after surgery

 

I recently had my first workout post- abdominal surgery. (Yay me!)

I didn’t quite realise how much I had missed the endorphin overload that is my Zumba classes until I walked in. The familiar strains of the upbeat music and the look of positive joy on my instructor’s face were  just the welcome-back I needed!

 It felt so good to be back but I knew I had to keep my excitement in check and try not to give in to the temptation of wanting to prove myself, operating at pre-surgery levels.

Here are a few lessons I’m learning:

Doctor knows best: follow medical advice

It sounds like a no brainer but really the basic principle is to follow medical advice. Every surgical procedure and individual recovery time is unique.  Having had abdominal surgery, I was told to wait at least till after my six- week checkup before getting back to working out.  

That said, I was instructed to walk, starting on the day after surgery, to reduce the risk of blood clots.  So for the two days I was hospitalized I would walk up and down the hospital corridors at least thrice a day. Of course at this point I was still weak from the surgery itself and from not eating before the procedure, and almost doubled over in pain. But walk you must and so I walked. Or rather waddled.

Easy does it

Even though I was active before surgery I never put expectations on myself to simply jump back into exercising at the same intensity as before. As the saying goes, you’ll need to walk before you can run. Or, in my case, dance vigorously.  

Once back home I stepped up my walking routine, around the house and outside, slowly up and down the stairs.  When I felt stronger I started to walk out in the neighbourhood. And was reminded that when you push your body even just a little bit more it responds; every step I took felt a lot easier than the last one.

Listen to your body: Know when to stop

Health experts advise  using pain as your guide when beginning physical activity after surgery. If something hurts, that should be the upper threshold limit to you.

Sometimes while out on my walks I would be tempted to walk faster or longer. And my body let me know. That bit of discomfort was always the sign that I had done enough. I was okay saying to myself “I am not going to walk this far today.” Or to just skip the walk altogether. This was not the time to try to power through or be tougher than the pain.

 Love on yourself

To ease your return to working out you need to support your body in other ways. Your diet, for instance, is also a key factor in the recovery process ; you need to give your body the nutrients it needs to heal. I lost quite a bit of blood and had to be transfused.  While being discharged I was instructed to eat lots of iron-rich food in addition to supplements that were prescribed.

To get my iron in I loaded up on fruit, vegetables, natural juices and water. Not only did it help with bowel movements (very important after abdominal surgery) it has been  great for my overall health  and  wellbeing including getting my hb levels back up.

 

Also ensure you get enough rest, as sleep helps support tissue regeneration and repair.

 

 Consistency always wins

In the fitness game, consistency wins over intensity every time. Once you get back into exercising, try and stick to your schedule. Don’t have enough time to do a full workout? Just do a few minutes and move on. Then do another ten minutes the following day or day after. Maybe this time you will manage more than ten minutes. The key is to keep going.  Those individual ten- minute sessions may seem insignificant, but it is the cumulative effect of such small efforts that matters in the end.

As your body starts to respond to exercise, you can gradually increase the intensity. “Gradually” being the operative word.

 I intend to start with two classes a week and then build up from there to three maybe four as I build up the intensity. I don’t even have to complete the full hour/hour and a half, 30 minutes is fine.

Getting back into your workout regime is not a short-term goal. It is a lifelong journey. Be patient with yourself; your body will thank you!

Written by Martha Songa