Exercising can be helpful for reaching your weight loss goals after weight loss surgery, but with 80% of jobs in the United States being low activity or sedentary it’s hard for many of us to find the time to move on a consistent basis. How can you find ways to exercise without sweating or visiting a gym? What if you stopped thinking about exercise as another chore to fit into your to-do list, and instead look for ways you can integrate moments of activity into your daily routine?
Not all exercises require sneakers and sweatpants. While you are at the office or waiting in line at the grocery store, you can engage in a couple quick exercises to work your core.
- Abdominal Brace: Sit-ups and crunches can be strenuous, but you can gain some of the fitness benefits of these moves without breaking a sweat. To do so, simply stand upright and squeeze your abdominal muscles as if expecting a hard blow to the stomach. As you tighten your abdominal muscles, try to squeeze your glutes at the same time. Hold this tense position for at least ten seconds. Try to repeat this toning exercise at least ten times to really tighten your tummy.
- Rapid Fire Breathing: This old yoga technique is respected as a way to reenergize your body and cleanse your mind, but it is also a decent abdominal workout. To start, place your hand flat over your belly button and take a long, deep breath through your nose. You should feel your stomach relax as you inhale. Forcefully exhale through your nose, pushing your stomach in as much as you can. As you exhale, your nose should make a slight sniffing sound. Do between 15 and 20 repetitions of this breathing sequence.
Exercise without sweating might not seem like much of a workout, but the above activities can help you burn calories and tone your core as you are trying to lose weight after bariatric surgery. The activities are not a full replacement for regular low intensity workouts like walking or swimming. Instead, think of exercise without sweating as complementary to other fitness activities like walking or swimming.
Learn more by contacting us today in Guntersville at 256.571.8734 or in Albertville at 256.840.5547.