Here’s a Reason for Bariatric Patients to Put on Your Sneakers

We all know walking is good for us. All of us. Gastric sleeve patients, hernia patients, gallbladder patients, gastric bypass patients, gastric band patients, and even those who have no medical conditions to speak of. Walking for as little as 2 hours per week brings down all cause mortality, not just those related to obesity.

We all know walking and how much you walk can benefit your health. But researchers have now been investigating how the speed at which we walk can affect our health. Turns out pace does, in fact, matter.

After studying over 50,000 walkers and their self described pace (slow, average, or brisk), researchers were able to relate pace to a reduction in mortality. An average walking pace was associated with a 20% reduction in all cause mortality, but a brisk pace took it even further to a 24% reduction. A brisk or fast pace was defined at around 3-4 miles per hour, or at a pace that makes you slightly out of breath or sweaty when sustained.

For people over 60, walking has even greater health benefits. Walking at an average pace had a 46 percent lower risk of death, and brisk walking lowered the risk by 53 percent. One caveat, the researchers warned, is that walking pace did not seem to have any influence over cancer mortality for any age group.

For gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients who have been cleared to exercise, walking can make a great first exercise. But it doesn’t have to end there. Walking can continue to be an exercise you incorporate into your exercise regime for the rest of your life. Walking can be kept up as an activity you can do to improve your health, reduce your risk of mortality, and help promote weight loss to help you meet your weight loss goals after bariatric surgery.

This information is offered by Dr. Shillingford, MD, PA, a Center of Excellence Surgeon specializing in gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band surgery. Dr. Shillingford’s reputation for excellent surgical skills and comfortable bedside manner attract patients from all over Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, and Jacksonville. His bariatric weight loss patients receive top notch care during their hospital stay at Northwest Medical Center’s Center for Excellence in Bariatric Surgery, where he serves as Medical Director, and during their follow up care in his Boca Raton office. But, it’s up to the patients themselves to incorporate exercise into their daily lives to make the most of their weight loss efforts.