5 Ways to Help You Enjoy Working Out

Delayed physical changes, soreness and the boredom of routine are just a few factors that discourage people from working out every day. It’s finally time to stop hating working out and start loving it! We have five easy steps to help you maintain your workout plans and learn to love exercising!

1. Organize Your Goals.

Before you hop on the treadmill or hit the floor for some crunches, establish some goals. Sounds easy, but if you don’t have a concrete plan how can you stick to it? If you want to see results, jot down the steps needed to achieve them. Failing to organize is a surefire way to guarantee giving up and opting out of your workouts.

2. Turn up the Tunes

Music adds excitement and takes your mind off pain and fatigue. Studies suggest fast-paced music helps people work harder and increase concentration. Get in the zone! Start putting together the perfect workout playlist.

3. Do What You Love

Don’t force yourself to do workouts you hate. Find fun and exciting exercises you enjoy and before you know it, working out will be just another hobby.

4. Set up A Reward System

To keep yourself motivated, find small ways to reward yourself after every workout. Whether it’s a small healthy treat or some simple shopping, reward yourself every time you reach one of your goals.

5. Make it a Group Thing

If you dread going to the gym by yourself, get fit with some close friends, family members, or coworkers. Schedule workout dates to play some 3-on-3 games, take a Zumba class, or practice simple partner lifting. Chit-chatting while working out will help the time fly.

We hope these tips will help you learn to love working out. Always remember there is a goal in reach and think about how great you’ll feel once you've achieved them!

Can Bariatric Surgery Reverse Diabetes?

If you struggle with obesity and type 2 diabetes, research suggests that bariatric surgery will not only help you lose weight, but also improve or resolve your diabetes. Las Vegas weight loss surgeon Thomas Umbach encourages you to schedule a consultation to discuss weight loss surgery with him.

Research Backs Up Diabetes Claim

A good majority of the research linking bariatric surgery to the treatment of type 2 diabetes has come out of the Cleveland Clinic. Results of the Cleveland Clinic’s 2012 STAMPEDE trial (Surgical Therapy And Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently), published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed bariatric surgery to be more effective than medicine in controlling diabetes in obese patients.

In fact, researchers noted that 42 percent of patients in the study who underwent gastric bypass surgery showed no signs of diabetes after one year, compared to 12 percent of patients receiving drug therapy.

A similar study out of the Catholic University in Rome, also published in 2012, made another surprising discovery. They noted that some of their test’s subjects saw a change in their insulin and blood sugar levels almost immediately after surgery, even before losing any weight.

The Cleveland Clinic then led a STAMPEDE sub-study, the results of which were published in Diabetes Care in February 2013, that found gastric bypass surgery restores pancreatic function in moderately obese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

Long-Term Remission from Diabetes?

Though these studies’ findings were encouraging, up until late last year, nobody had looked at the long-term benefits of bariatric surgery in patients with type 2 diabetes.

In September 2013, the Annals of Surgery published new research from the Cleveland Clinic confirming that overweight patients with type 2 diabetes continue to improve or reverse their diabetes nine years after weight loss surgery.

The Cleveland Clinic’s lead investigator, Dr. Stacy Brethauer, said, “This study confirms that the procedure can offer durable remission of diabetes in some patients and should be considered as an earlier treatment option for patients with uncontrolled diabetes.”

Schedule a Bariatric Surgery Consultation

Dr. Umbach would be happy to explain how bariatric surgery at his Las Vegas practice can help you accomplish your health goals and live a longer, more satisfying life. Please call 702-463-3300 to schedule a consultation today.

Sources:

• http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-weight-loss-surgery-keeps-diabetes-at-bay-long-term-reverses-complications/
• http://www.today.com/video/today/46865805#46865805
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130919140823.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily:+Latest+Science+News%29
• http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DiabetesTreatment/weight-loss-surgery-cuts-type-diabetes/story?id=16002552
• http://my.clevelandclinic.org/media_relations/library/2013/2013-09-19-cleveland-clinic-study-shows-long-term-effects-bariatric-surgery-obese-patients-type-2-diabetes.aspx

Post-Bariatric Surgery Exercises

Planning and executing a proper exercise routine after bariatric surgery will help you achieve the body and lifestyle you have been dreaming about. With healthy eating, consistent workouts and discipline, maintaining your new lifestyle post bariatric surgery will become second nature. Benefits of working out include toning your muscles, increasing your energy, tightening loose skin, lowering your blood pressure and ultimately working out will make you feel great!

Recovery

Recovery is very important and does not happen over night. Communication with your doctor is vital and very necessary. It takes effort and a strict diet. After you and your doctor feel like you have fully recovered, you may then begin planning your routines.

Take it Slow

For most patients, working out will be a gradual experience. For the first couple of weeks after the recovery period, patients should begin sitting exercises focusing on legs and arm movements. Exercises include leg lifts, arm rotations, and shoulder rolls. After performing some of these exercises, patients should go for a walk outside or on a treadmill to get a little cardio in. This work out should be done everyday for about 30-45 minutes to condition the body.  

Picking up the Pace

After about a 3-4 weeks (Or more depending on patient), patients should now be ready for more challenging exercises. Implementing cardio and aerobic exercises will help shed some more pounds and tone the areas that need it.  Riding a bike outside or taking cycling classes at the gym are great ways to incorporate cardio into your work out routine. Always remember to go at your on pace when performing these exercises.

Building Strength

By the 3^rd or 4^th month, working out should very much be second nature. It’s all gradual advancement from this point on. To see more results make sure to add some strength training into the mix.  Strength training exercises should be incorporated into your routine at least 3 times a week. Exercises include lunges, squats and the use of dumbbell weights. You may feel some soreness following these exercises. It’s very important to take care of your body afterwards with rest and the right post workout meal or protein shake.

Sources

http://www.blossombariatrics.com/recovering/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/build-strength/strength-training-for-beginners/

Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution

How many of you have “Stick to my resolution” as one of your 2014 resolutions? If you don’t already, go ahead and add it to the list because we have some helpful tips to help you accomplish your 2014 goals.

1. Plan and Organize

In order to really focus on your goals, you have to stay organized. Create a system to help you stay on your path. Lists are a great way of staying organized.

Write down a series of steps to remind yourself of  what to do, jot down your progress and lastly differentiate your short term and long term goals.

 If you can maintain a system that fits you, stick to it and keep up the hard work.

2. Reward yourself

Every step closer to your goal deserves a round of applause. Whether it’s one huge leap or a series of smaller steps, sit back and reward yourself. This will remind you that you are closer then when you started and giving up CAN’T be an option.

3. Don't Beat Yourself Up

In the beginning, falling off the wagon is very common. For most of the world, one mistake can set a person back indefinitely and there goes another failed New Year’s resolution.

When this happens, accept your mistake, forgive yourself and get back on the wagon and keep pushing towards that goal!

4. Be Social Friendly

We live in an era where we share everything with everyone. Social media has allowed us to connect with people similar to us.

Share you progression with the cyber world. Publicly committing to a goal can bring personal motivation and also welcome in others who may have similar goals.

This way, others can support and motivate you.

5. Smart Phone, Smart Tips

You know that device you glue your face to on a daily basis? The device that started off as a way to merely communicate with others? Yea, your smart phone. Well there are a plethora of apps to help people stick to their goal.

Search for some apps in the app store that you feel can help you. Apps such as Lose It! and Fooducate can help users maintain and track what they eat and what activities they do to reach their ultimate goal.

We hope these tips help you get to where you want to be. Keep reminding yourself how badly you want to reach your goal and how satisfying it will be at the end. Goodluck!

Sources:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/9-ways-to-keep-your-new-year-s-resolutions-1.aspx
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/12/27/keep-new-years-resolutions-goals/4192127/