For immediate release
April 8, 2010
EXPERTS OUTLINE EXERCISE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BARIATRIC
SURGERY PATIENTS
AUSTIN, Texas
– Recent bariatric surgery patients can and should exercise for
long-term health – but progression must be slow, experts said
today at the American College of
Sports Medicine’s 14th-annual Health &
Fitness Summit.
Paul Sorace, M.S., and Adam de Jong, M.A.,
stress that the weight loss attained through bariatric surgery
doesn’t always equal true health.
“Bariatric surgery promotes weight loss
but not a healthy lifestyle. Exercise does,” de Jong said.
“Although bariatric surgery does provide significant improvements
in key cardiovascular risk factors, including Type-2 diabetes and
hypertension, long term success is dependent upon lifestyle changes. As
part of these lifestyle changes, increased physical activity is
necessary to attain long-term health and also prevent weight
regain.”
Sorace and de Jong outlined post-bariatric
surgery physical activity recommendations in three key areas:
- Aerobic exercise should be the focus of a post-bariatric surgery program,
as it burns the most calories and is the best way for a previously
sedentary individual to ease into physical activity. Low-impact
activities such as walking are useful and usually well tolerated, even
if only for brief periods.
- Resistance trainingis a crucial partner
to aerobic exercise, but limitations may be prudent during the early
weeks after surgery, particularly concerning the abdominal region. But
strength training may increase fat-free mass (muscle) and speed loss of
fat mass in post-bariatric surgery patients.
- Flexibility exercise improves range of
motion for still-obese post-surgery patients – but following
precautions is important to prevent injury.
Sorace also recommends taking care to ensure
proper hydration levels. “These patients are unique in that they
would typically need more fluid during activity than others because of
their body size and sweat rate – but they now have limited
capacity to consume these fluids.” He recommends frequent small
sips of water and exercising in cool temperatures to reduce fluid
loss.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the
largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.
More than 35,000 international, national, and regional members and
certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating
scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of
exercise science and sports medicine.
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