I'm a week out and I know I can not hit the gym yet. I have read and been told walk, walk, walk. Then I get the lecture "you just had major surgery you should be taking it easy and recovering." How much is to much walking at this point?

I'm a workaholic and sitting at home is starting to get to me. So any activity is a joy but I don't want to over do it either. Any advice?

For early exercise during the first few weeks post-op, I drove to "big box stores" like Sam's, Wal-Mart and Target. Holding the cart, and pacing myself, I slowly walked most/all the aisles. Easy. Supported by the cart, in case I got tired.

Just don't see it as a shopping excursion; you'll end up broke. Just walk.

Have fun.

PS: Take a bottle of Water, etc. to sip, sip, sip.

Edited February 7, 201511 yr by Dr-Patient

Try to find a place with benches (like a park or mall). One week out I went to this lovely park and walked (more like strolled) one mile but I had to stop and sit on the bench three times. If I felt at all I needed to rest, I did. Just take it easy and don't get too exhausted.

This early out it's not about burning calories, but more about helping your body to heal and getting a regular exercise program started.

The answer to your quesition " How much is to much walking at this point?" is only one that you can answer. Go by how your body feels. My husband took me every day to a small mall and I walked from one end to the other. After one round trip I was pretty tired, which was my sign to stop. As time progressed I could do 2 rounds before feeling fatigued.

My advice would be to listen to your own body. It will tell you when enough is enough!

I walked on the track at the YMCA about five days after I got home. The more I walked the better I felt and got my energy back quicker.

After 1 week PostOp, I was walking 2-3 miles daily. BUT, I was walking/hiking 5-6 miles 4-5xs/week for months prior to surgery. So as you can imagine, I was going stir crazy immediately after surgery just sitting/laying around.

Like others have mentioned: how your body feels is important, but it's also important to consider what your exercise level was prior to surgery. If it was nonexistent, be conservative and increase distance & duration slowly. If you were very active, your body will let you be more aggressive

I went back to work five days postop and do 13 hour shifts so that was a lot of my walking there. I found I felt better when I was up and moving. I'm only 2 weeks post op and it's been raining since I came home from surgery so on my days off I was going to mall and walking but then I wanted to shop. Lol. So a few days ago I joined the gym and have gone there everyday since and just do the treadmill. I tried the elliptical first because that used to be my favorite but I found that really bounces my belly and doesn't feel so good so I switched. I just make sure I hit minimum steps a day my NUT set in my plan.

I walked every day. It was kinda funny, my hubby took 10 days off after my surgery and my mom flew in for two weeks also. So everyday I would announce......"who wants to take me for my walk?" LOL I'm in AZ so the weather was perfect for walking outside. So in the very beginning I broke it up in 20 min intervals to get in my hour a day the doc wanted. Once I was feeling better and started having more energy we would do more.

Go by how your body feels, but make sure you are moving!!

Thanks for all the advice....this is such a great forum!

I walked 3 miles just 3 days after surgery. Within 7 days I was up to 12 miles a day again Now I'm going to the gym everyday and doing my time on the treadmill. Pace yourself and if you just had surgery, you might want someone to walk with you if it hurts, stop.

Don't take on too much. no need in rushing.

My surgeon told me I can walk the treadmill as soon as my pain subsides. My plan was to take it easy for the first week and try to get to the gym week #2. The downfall is that I'm in MA and we've been getting hit with really bad snowstorms

I walked a mile the morning I was released from the hospital, and felt great. The times and distance has gotten longer as the days pass. Now I do a minimum of 5 miles a day just to maintain, plus it makes me feel better. Listen to your body, it will let you know when its had enough.