Keep Your Muscles Healthy After Bariatric Surgery with Flexibility Exercises

As you begin to exercise after bariatric surgery, it’s important to do different types of exercise. Balancing endurance, flexibility and strength exercises will help keep your muscles healthy as you recover. Flexibility exercises are particularly helpful for preparing for your other workouts and reducing muscle soreness. Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding and Dr. George Fielding offer some suggestions for improving your flexibility. You should always consult your own physician to be sure the exercise after bariatric surgery that you choose is safe for you.

How Are Flexibility Exercises Helpful?

Flexibility exercises are beneficial in several ways. They help lengthen and stretch your muscles, for example. This is important to improve their range of motion, which will help prevent injuries. They also improve your joint flexibility.

Exercise After Bariatric Surgery Should Include Stretching

Once your doctor says it’s okay, you can begin incorporating stretching exercises to increase your flexibility. Although stretching may not feel particularly strenuous, it’s important to approach these exercises gently. You should stretch until you feel the pull on your muscle, but you should not feel pain. Try some stretches for beginners and develop a routine for yourself. Your stretching will nicely complement your endurance and strength exercises, as well.

When you are ready for more advanced stretching, you can try a beginner’s yoga class. Lots of people enjoy the sense of community and support from such environments. Yoga also improves breathing techniques which can release stress and be a great source of relaxation. There are many different kinds of yoga to explore, too. You should always consult your own doctor before beginning a new exercise after bariatric surgery.

Schedule Appointments with Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding and Dr. George Fielding

Are you interested in or recovering from weight loss surgery? Contact Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding and Dr. George Fielding at the NYU Langone Weight Management Program.