Walking to Improve your Health

Posted: Mar 22 in Weight Loss Blog by Staff

When you are trying to lose weight, physical activity can be your best friend. Even before your weight loss surgery procedure it is recommended that you start increasing your physical activity level. In fact, becoming more active prior to your weight loss surgery date is shown to improve weight loss outcomes, which means that those who get off the couch and start making exercise a regular part of their life before getting weight loss surgery are more likely to reach their ultimate weight loss goals.

But for those who haven’t worked out much in the past, finding a good introduction to exercise might not seem like the easiest thing to do. There are some activities that are lot easier to get started with than others. If you haven’t spent a lot of time working out in the past, signing up for a marathon and trying to run a race on your first week out there isn’t a good idea. You need to take baby steps—quite literally!

Walking is one of the most effective forms of physical activity in terms of supporting weight loss. Here are just a few of the benefits of walking for weight loss:

• It is available for just about anyone of any physical activity level
• It can be done at varying intensities, which means that as you become stronger and fit, your walking program can become more intense.
• It can be done at absolutely anytime, in anyplace.

How to Get Started

If you are new to physical activity, make sure that you prepare yourself and get started nice and slow. Here are a few tips to help you get started on a positive exercise program by putting one foot in front of the other.

Here is everything you need to get started:

• Make sure you have the right shoes. You want to walk in supportive sneakers that will keep your feet protected and comfortable.
• Wear loose clothing that gives your body the ability to breathe. Skin tight clothing will trap sweat in between your skin and clothes, preventing you from being able to stay dry.
• Stretch before you start! Make sure that you take the time to properly warm up your muscles, and don’t try to take on too much too soon.

Before you start any weight loss program you should talk to your bariatric surgeon. Starting with a walking program prior to your weight loss surgery can help put you on track for long term weight loss success, just make sure to keep it up and stay active!