During your first visit to a weight loss surgeon in Salt Lake City, the idea of exercising regularly may have been fairly new. Many people do not make a habit of exercise before weight loss surgery, and this can make every step of your new routine a challenge. However, as you become fitter, you’ll find that the same exercises don’t feel quite as difficult—what once left you sore and panting may now barely make you break a sweat.
To continue seeing progress in your workouts after weight loss surgery, you need to constantly provide your body with new challenges. The routine that built strength yesterday may not have the same results tomorrow. If you don’t update your workout, you’ll risk hitting a fitness plateau, where the once-obvious benefits of exercise have leveled off.
Avoiding a fitness plateau can be as simple as increasing the number of reps you do, or devoting more time to the same workouts. However, upping the intensity of your workout can also be accomplished by incorporating new tools and strategies to your routine.
You should never increase the intensity of your workouts without first consulting your weight loss surgeon. Doing too much too fast is a surefire way to injure yourself, which will hurt your progress far more than an intense workout will help. But if your weight loss surgeon gives you the go-ahead, you can help yourself exercise harder by:
- Getting unstable. Regardless of the workout we’re doing, we usually have the support of the ground beneath us. However, doing those exercises on a tool like a wobble board or BOSU ball will make your body work harder, fighting to keep itself stable on an unsteady surface. You’ll build more stabilizing muscles in your core, which can help you burn more calories and create a fitter physique. You can get the same benefit by lifting free weights instead of strength training with a weight machine.
- Circuit training. Instead of spending 15 minutes on cardio and 15 minutes on resistance exercises, why not string activities together into a compact, full-body workout? During a circuit training session, you’ll quickly transition between short bursts of different workouts, exercising all your muscle groups without pushing one too far. You can create your own circuit training routine by combining your favorite simple exercises, but if you’re new to the practice, its best to consult a trainer who can show you the best way to get started.
Improving your workout intensity can help you get more out of every workout, especially when you start to see diminishing returns from your time at the gym. If you feel like it’s time to make your exercise more challenging, talk to your weight loss surgeon about the safest ways to do so.