Hi all! Well, seems like I'm getting healthier in my old age. HA!
I smoked my last cigarette on Feb. 5th, the day of my surgery and have not touched one since! Now the smell of them makes me sick. Weird, huh?

Anyhoo.... after I heal completely, what would be a good program for me to follow to get in better shape? I would like to lose a few more pounds and tone up a bit everywhere. Any suggestions? I was thinking about yoga. Is that good for toning? KT? Thanks for any input!!!

Good for you! Thats such a wonderful thing, and it should be a relief that the smell of cigarettes makes you sick- its probably so much easier to avoid going back to them.
Yes, YOGA! Absolutely!! Or- if you find that in the very beginning even this is too hard for your body- start out with simple stretches and THEN go to yoga or something similar. I think its just wonderful!
Good Luck!:)

Congratulations, TammySue on being "smoke free"!!!!!!

I am so proud of you!!!!!!

I am only doing a little yoga (and even less Pilates) but what I've done, I'd say YES Yoga is a great choice for toning!!!! Go for it!!! :) But get KTs advice! She'd the Yoga-guru! :)

TammySue,

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your lungs, heart, etc., all thank you!

I don't have a real opinion on the exercise dilemma, but I bought one of Leslie Sansone's walking videos just today. That sounded like something I might actually do, and that I can do at home.

Deborah

Hi Tammy Sue!

If you are just after toning, and don't want to lose lots of weight or build up lots of muscle, then a combination of yoga and/or Pilates along with with something that gets your heart rate up (like a 20 minute walk, some vigorous housework, gardening) is ideal, you should see good results relatively quickly (assuming your diet is OK), and you don't have to devote huge amounts of time to it either, as it is best to do a little yoga each day than longer sessions once a week. And the benefits of yoga go far beyond a toned body too - you will feel increased mobility and improved posture (just standing correctly can make you look 10 pounds lighter :)), be relaxed and destressed, stabilise your metabolism and blood pressure, massage your internal organs and stimulae the various systems of your body. The benefits are endless.

BUT!!! Please seek advice from a medical expert or qualified yoga teacher. There are many yoga poses that shouldn't be done for 6-12 months after surgery, and particularly after abdominal surgery, so it is really important that you get advice from a trained professional before you begin anything new. The massaging of internal organs I mentioned above is a common benefit of many poses, and right now you really don't want to be doing too much of that :shock: Also, you don't want to be stretching scar tissue until it is fully healed - I know from my own experiences that for tissue to fully heal takes a lot longer than you'd think, and even when it feels fine it may not be back to full strength and elasticity :(
Is there a local class you can attend? All good yoga teachers will know what poses are safe, how to modify them and what poses to leave out for now, and if they don't, or say yes yoga is fine with no modification, then pleaee go somewhere else! If you really can't attend a class for whatever reason, then speak to your doctor and ask if you are OK to start yoga, and if (s)he says yes, then find out what kind of moves you can and can't do, then tell me what advice you were given and I will do some research into safe poses.

Congrats on giving up smoking - I know it's tough, and it's an awesome achievement to do it successfully. You are on the first step towards a healthier body :)

Thanks so much for all the input!!

And KT, I will check with my doctor, etc. I'll get back to you if I have any specific questions. Thanks!

Hugs to all,

Awesome TammySue! Having two parents that smoked non stop (and one who died from emphysema) I know how hard quitting is! You have earned a spot in my hall of fame!