recommended workout regimen after abdominal surgery

[MochaLatte]

Cathe, I'm in my 6th post-op week after an unplanned and serious abdominal surgery. I have the go ahead to workout...and I'll add I'm in total muscle atrophy. :-( On a brighter side, I lost 20lbs since the surgery, some of it I'm sure is the muscle mass I lost.

I have many of your DVDs and older VHS videos, and I am also a member of OnDemand and Live. I'm ready to start working out again, but not sure which program would be best to start with. I don't know if I should start as a beginner or more advanced (as I was before my surgery). I'm almost 60 and started working out when I was 25...so, I never thought I would be asking this question.

I workout at home, and I do have some equipment: tower for pull-ups/dips, free weights, bands, a beat up bench, treadmill and spinner. I can even get out and do some road mtn bike riding again. Plus I have two border collies that I take for walks and just started jogging again (post-op) and frisbee playing daily. My doctor suggested I start out slow...but I'm in my 6th week and that is all I have been doing is walking my pups...I'm ready to dive in and feel the burn.

If you have a particular program to use on your site that I could start rebuilding my muscle strength and cardio uptake again, I sure would appreciate it.

 

[~Elsie]

Hey Mochalatte! Your name is giving me chocolate cravings! lol. Obviously I am not Cathe. I would just like to wish you good health on your recovery & suggest that you consider beginning with Low Impact Series and just do what you can and practice being mindful of what you can do now. For weights, I would think that the Tri-sets (from LIS) may be too high volume/intense in the beginning. Since you have OnDemand, I would recommend Upper Body Sculpt + Lower Body Sculpt from Body Fusion and work towards Body Blast SuperSets. The reason I wouldn't suggest ICE Upper Body Sculpt (even though it is intermediate) is because many of the moves incorporate core which will be great in time, but you perhaps ought to begin without those type of hybrid moves. Has your doctor given you any advice regarding reaching moves or overhead weight exercises with regards to your surgery? Be sure to check with those considerations first & if your insurance covers some physical therapy, I think 3 consultations regarding active rehabilitation would be excellent for you.
I think it's awesome that you dogs have gotten you out and active!

 

[MochaLatte]

Hi Elsie,

Thank you for feedback. I am leaning towards low impact with low weight movements. I like the body composition workout so much and I'll incorporate this when I'm out jogging by using rocks, benches for plyo, push-ups, etc...it is so fun to work out in the outdoors. I know it is wise to not do too much at first...so I can do upper and lower body sculpt, until I know my muscle strength and coordination is solid. The doc said, start slow, do 2-20 min of walking a day (same info right after operation). Last weekend I did my first 3.5 mi jog/walk with the boyz and Frisbee playing. I surely felt that jog in my quads, do hills up and down, the next day. Hahah. I forgot about LA buildup when working out...so that was a definite gentle reminder. I can also get back in my bike riding, street, and mtn biking, and spinning.

Mocha was a rescue dog (Catahoula), who actually adopted me, and my best furry friend that went with me everywhere, mtn biking, jogging, hiking, camping etc. for 13 yrs. She was 15 y/o when she passed onto the rainbow bridge. Latte was a 9-mo kitten that showed up on my door step 10 years ago. Mocha and Latte were very close friends. When I joined this forum several years ago, I chose MochaLate as my online name.

So, for the first time in my life, a close by farming family's dog had puppies that needed a home, they are Heeler and Border collie mix, and I picked out two. The Boyz look more like border collies and have been with me since they were 7-weeks old. They are now a year old, and they are very hyperactive. They need to run every day, and be challenged to work--very smart dogs, they learn quickly. So, when I discovered they love to retrieve Frisbee's, I learned about disc Dog competitions. So, it is great fun to have very active dogs. In my profile pic, we are on the mesa where I live. We were out on one of our evening walks (winter) at new park being built. The snow was still pretty deep then, but the boyz love the snow.

Thanks again Elsie (my Great Aunt's name is Elsie) , my name is Broxi.

 

[~Elsie]

Hi there Broxi, nice to meet you & thanks for sharing where your 'name' came from. Just love it, you gave me a sniffle!
I love dogs too, although my senior cat does not & at her age, she makes the rules around here! My neighbour had a Heeler mix who was such a joyous soul!
I love outdoor pursuits like yourself and have been lucky these past years to live in a climate that allows me to do things outside that I enjoy all year through! There are many outdoorsy Cathletes on this forum.
I wish you the best of luck with your healing & getting back in the saddle again. Sounds like you will be doing fine.
(sorry about my typos in the original post there ...lol) Take care!!