Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program to make sure that you’re healthy enough for exercise.

Here are 10 great reasons to start an exercise program after weight loss surgery:

1) Regular exercise has been proven to help mood. Exercise can help lift depression and decrease anxiety. It releases natural chemicals into the brain that help reduce depression and anxiety.

2) Exercise reduces stress. After exercise, most people feel more relaxed and centered because it reduces negative emotions like anger, stress, and irritability.

3) Exercise helps your cardiovascular system. The resting heart rate for most people is between 60 to 80 beats per minute. If you’re out of shape, your resting heart rate could be as high as 100bpm. Professional athletes may have a resting heart rate as low as 30bpm. Have you ever wondered why?

Because regular exercise makes the cardiovascular system more efficient. A steady exercise program reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps prevent cardiac problems. This is especially important to make sure your system fully recovers after lap band surgery.

4) Exercise limits your vulnerability to osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. When women age, they tend to lose bone mass, but women who exercise regularly are much less susceptible to this problem. Exercise to prevent osteoporosis needs to be consistent, and needs to progress in intensity. As you get more fit, increase the intensity of the exercise!

This is especially important for gastric bypass patients, because of the dangers of malnutrition and malabsorption after gastric bypass surgery. A standard bariatric multi-vitamin may or may not be enough to take care of your bone-mass needs when you exercise. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor and find out if you should take a bariatric calcium supplement.

5) Regular exercise improves muscle tone. As you lose weight, you want to do all you can to improve and enhance muscle tone. Exercise increases muscle and reduces fatty tissue.

6) Regular exercise will make you more energetic. Being stronger and more fit will let you do more in your daily life.

7) If you have a family history of breast cancer, exercise has been shown to reduce the incidence of it. The chances of getting breast cancer are reduced by a regular exercise program, because it causes positive changes to your hormones.

Weight lifting exercise builds strength while cardiovascular exercise builds stamina. People who are fitter can accomplish more in a day because they don’t get tired out so easily.

9) Increasing lean muscle mass will actually help you burn more calories throughout your day. The calories you burn during exercise are only part of the benefit you get from cardiovascular exercise. People with more muscle actually burn more calories.

10) Your body burns calories at a faster rate after exercise than before, even when you’re done exercising. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you’re done.

If you’re out of shape, start off slowly on a new exercise program. Before starting an exercise program, always check with your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to exercise and to make sure there are no contraindications for you to begin a program.

Top 10 Reasons to Start an Exercise Program after Gastric Bypass Surgery:

1) Regular exercise has been proven to help mood. Anyone suffering from anxiety or depression will find help through regular exercise. Research shows that exercise increases endorphins that help boost mood.

2) Exercise reduces stress. After a good workout, people feel less angry, stressed and irritable.

3) Cardiovascular exercise reduces the incidence of cardiac problems. The resting heart rate for most people is between 60 to 80 beats per minute. If you’re sedentary or out of shape, the resting heart beat can be as much as 100 beats per minute. But in trained athletes, the resting heart rate can be as low as 30 beats per minute. Have you ever wondered why?

Cardio exercise strengthens the heart and lungs. A steady exercise program reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and helps prevent cardiac problems. This is especially important to make sure your system fully recovers after bariatric surgery.

4) Exercise makes your body look better. As you lose weight, you want to do all you can to improve and enhance muscle tone. Exercise increases muscle and reduces fatty tissue.

5) Regular exercise will make you more energetic. Being stronger and more fit will let you do more in your daily life.

6) If you have a family history of breast cancer, exercise has been shown to reduce the incidence of it. The chances of getting breast cancer are reduced by a regular exercise program, because it causes positive changes to your hormones.

7) Weight lifting exercise builds strength while cardiovascular exercise builds stamina. People who are more fit can do more in their daily lives because they don’t get tired out so easily.

Increasing lean muscle mass will actually help you burn more calories throughout your day. The calories you burn during exercise are only part of the benefit you get from cardiovascular exercise. People with more muscle actually burn more calories.

9) Your body keeps burning more calories after you’re done with exercise than the number of calories you were burning before exercise. Exercise speeds up your metabolism, even after you’re done.

10) Exercise after weight loss surgery reduces the risk of osteoporosis, especially if you do weight-bearing exercise. When women reach menopause, their hormones change, causing vulnerability to osteoporosis, but if they are in a regular exercise program, they’re much less likely to have bone loss. Exercise to prevent osteoporosis needs to be consistent, and needs to progress in intensity. As you get more fit, increase the intensity of the exercise!

If you’re out of shape, start off slowly on a new exercise program. An exercise program of walking is usually safe for anyone and a good way to ease into a new life of better fitness.