I highly recommend joining a gym for a place to exercise without the distraction of being at home. We joined our local Planet Fitness since it is the least expensive option. We are still running on treadmills since it is still very cold here.
Check for a generous cancellation policy. YMCA's are good too, but ours are too expensive. However, they often offer guided classes, Yoga and often a decent pool.
Make sure the hours work for you, i.e. early mornings or late nights and especially weekend hours. Talk to the staff or trainer and ask for assistance, explaining machines, if you want to use them, be sure to point out your physical limitations.
Depending on the state of your health, body weight exercises are excellent if you are just getting started again. The move to low weights, two or five pound weights, or more if you feel strong enough. Kettlebells are very versatile and dumbbells are good. I also have several resistance ropes and bands. They don't take up much space either.
My favorite website for plans and research is www.muscleandstrength.com They provided all kinds of information and also free plans, the newsletter always has some nuggets in it. They also have free instruction videos. You can always adjust to your needs.
Youtube is good but there is a lot of bad and confusing information. Difficult to build a workout plan that makes sense.
I also pick up books on ebay every so often. that are fact based, not fad based. Some of the older books are science based standard works.
More is not not always better. Focus on your goal, fitness, endurance, exercising your muscle to counter sarcopenia, or building big muscles. That goes hand in hand with nutrition. Protein is super important. A good nutritionist is very helpful, however it is not easy to find one that actually exercises.
Learn about the finer points of repetitions, sets and how weight effects the muscles. Don't fall for the old routine of 10-12 repetitions and fours sets, that may not do anything for you.
Continue with your walks, you may want to try adding some light jogging too.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out. I'm at the pre-transplant stage and have three months left to workout out and gain muscle. My donor was told she needs to loose more weight. We are working out together and strict on nutrition.
It helps that your are in the sunny environment, and not on the freezing East Coast.
Wow @run_for_fun! You should be my coach! I do have small dumbells. My neighbor wants me to go to the gym with her. I don't know why I am so nervous to do it.
I never got into strict workouts or going to the gym, partially because my adhd is way too all over the place to work out with other people and partially because I'm also hyper mobile and a lot of the standard gym equipment and workouts can cause a dislocation. That said, I still love to find ways to stay moving.
Yoga is a favourite of mine along with any dance style workouts where I can't try to stay one step ahead, and I've started doing calisthenics for more strength based activities. Looks were definitely deceiving, and it is very hard. I am noticing a lot of good looking muscle growth too, which is always a bonus!
Plus I try to get outside whenever possible (even in the snow and cold!) and my pup is a good motivator for those walks.
I second finding what works for you. Don't think you have to stick to "traditional workouts". I also always recommend the refit for life program through WTG - they have a ton of guided videos taking you through different movement styles. I started with their videos right after my transplant and they made a world of difference as they are targeted to the transplant lifestyle
Walking is a low impact exercise that is a good start to get the ball rolling so to speak. After my first transplant back in 2019, I adopted running (besides the mandatory running I had to accomplish in the military) and it changed my life drastically. I was more into weight lifting and building muscle back in the day but now as I'm older I've learned the importance of aerobic exercise on your total health and the positive impact it has on the vital organs such as your heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver of course. Had a minor set back after I needed another transplant in December of 2024 but never gave up hope. And with the foundation I started years ago, I transitioned back to running again and felt very lucky and blessed to still be doing the one thing that gives me enjoyment (along with spending time with my fiance which has been my rock throughout everything). So start slow, be patient, and the most importantly, do not get discouraged. The reward will be well worth the time and effort in the end. If you need certain exercises or routines, I can talk to my fiance to get her inputs. She runs and exercises daily and is very knowledgeable to it all. Just let me know and good luck 🙏
I have trouble in commercial gyms. Since pandemic and transplant all I see is little germs everywhere. 😂 Waiting to pounce on me. I do go to a gym, it's a small one and work out with a trainer 2x a week. We review goals and then she helps me work toward them. Most is core and strength building. At home, I use Leslie Sansone walking videos, very helpful and there are different lengths, 1 mi. abs only, 3 mi. walks etc. Fit-on is another app I use that has a host of exercises, meditations, yoga, etc. I only use the free version. It helps because there are different challenges to help you get started.
I go through my Medicare/medicaid insurance, there is a benefit for fitness that gives me a basic membership to one of several nationwide gyms (I have to pay the initial fee to join). There are also private classes for my specific insurance benefit - tai chi, yoga, basic fitness, etc.
At home, I use small kettle-bells for core strength conditioning and do stretching exercises with resistance bands. My insurance benefit also has online zoom fitness classes for when I’m not feeling like being around people.
My physical therapist post-transplant told me walking is one of the best exercises for my liver transplant. I had to relearn how to walk, so I’m happy to be averaging 2 miles a day over the last year on my fitness tracker. That being said, I can do 6-8 miles a day if I have to, but I’m not worth much the next day lol.
I wish you the best of luck, start small and be consistent is my only advice.
I am so inspired! Thank you all for your support. I am going to try a little of everything till I find my niche. I will keep you updated on my progress. Be sure to exercise for your transplant health.
I want to get back into the gym but haven't made it there yet. There is a smaller gym around the corner from my house that i want to join. I feel better when I exercise. For now I walk my dog and get my exercise and steps in that way.
1 - 8 of 8 Replies
I highly recommend joining a gym for a place to exercise without the distraction of being at home. We joined our local Planet Fitness since it is the least expensive option. We are still running on treadmills since it is still very cold here.
Check for a generous cancellation policy. YMCA's are good too, but ours are too expensive. However, they often offer guided classes, Yoga and often a decent pool.
Make sure the hours work for you, i.e. early mornings or late nights and especially weekend hours. Talk to the staff or trainer and ask for assistance, explaining machines, if you want to use them, be sure to point out your physical limitations.
Depending on the state of your health, body weight exercises are excellent if you are just getting started again. The move to low weights, two or five pound weights, or more if you feel strong enough. Kettlebells are very versatile and dumbbells are good. I also have several resistance ropes and bands. They don't take up much space either.
My favorite website for plans and research is www.muscleandstrength.com They provided all kinds of information and also free plans, the newsletter always has some nuggets in it. They also have free instruction videos. You can always adjust to your needs.
Youtube is good but there is a lot of bad and confusing information. Difficult to build a workout plan that makes sense.
I also pick up books on ebay every so often. that are fact based, not fad based. Some of the older books are science based standard works.
More is not not always better. Focus on your goal, fitness, endurance, exercising your muscle to counter sarcopenia, or building big muscles. That goes hand in hand with nutrition. Protein is super important. A good nutritionist is very helpful, however it is not easy to find one that actually exercises.
Learn about the finer points of repetitions, sets and how weight effects the muscles. Don't fall for the old routine of 10-12 repetitions and fours sets, that may not do anything for you.
Continue with your walks, you may want to try adding some light jogging too.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out. I'm at the pre-transplant stage and have three months left to workout out and gain muscle. My donor was told she needs to loose more weight. We are working out together and strict on nutrition.
It helps that your are in the sunny environment, and not on the freezing East Coast.
Wow @run_for_fun! You should be my coach! I do have small dumbells. My neighbor wants me to go to the gym with her. I don't know why I am so nervous to do it.
Transplant Patient
I never got into strict workouts or going to the gym, partially because my adhd is way too all over the place to work out with other people and partially because I'm also hyper mobile and a lot of the standard gym equipment and workouts can cause a dislocation. That said, I still love to find ways to stay moving.
Yoga is a favourite of mine along with any dance style workouts where I can't try to stay one step ahead, and I've started doing calisthenics for more strength based activities. Looks were definitely deceiving, and it is very hard. I am noticing a lot of good looking muscle growth too, which is always a bonus!
Plus I try to get outside whenever possible (even in the snow and cold!) and my pup is a good motivator for those walks.
I second finding what works for you. Don't think you have to stick to "traditional workouts". I also always recommend the refit for life program through WTG - they have a ton of guided videos taking you through different movement styles. I started with their videos right after my transplant and they made a world of difference as they are targeted to the transplant lifestyle
Walking is a low impact exercise that is a good start to get the ball rolling so to speak. After my first transplant back in 2019, I adopted running (besides the mandatory running I had to accomplish in the military) and it changed my life drastically. I was more into weight lifting and building muscle back in the day but now as I'm older I've learned the importance of aerobic exercise on your total health and the positive impact it has on the vital organs such as your heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver of course. Had a minor set back after I needed another transplant in December of 2024 but never gave up hope. And with the foundation I started years ago, I transitioned back to running again and felt very lucky and blessed to still be doing the one thing that gives me enjoyment (along with spending time with my fiance which has been my rock throughout everything). So start slow, be patient, and the most importantly, do not get discouraged. The reward will be well worth the time and effort in the end. If you need certain exercises or routines, I can talk to my fiance to get her inputs. She runs and exercises daily and is very knowledgeable to it all. Just let me know and good luck 🙏
Hello!
I have trouble in commercial gyms. Since pandemic and transplant all I see is little germs everywhere. 😂 Waiting to pounce on me. I do go to a gym, it's a small one and work out with a trainer 2x a week. We review goals and then she helps me work toward them. Most is core and strength building. At home, I use Leslie Sansone walking videos, very helpful and there are different lengths, 1 mi. abs only, 3 mi. walks etc. Fit-on is another app I use that has a host of exercises, meditations, yoga, etc. I only use the free version. It helps because there are different challenges to help you get started.
Good Luck!
I go through my Medicare/medicaid insurance, there is a benefit for fitness that gives me a basic membership to one of several nationwide gyms (I have to pay the initial fee to join). There are also private classes for my specific insurance benefit - tai chi, yoga, basic fitness, etc.
At home, I use small kettle-bells for core strength conditioning and do stretching exercises with resistance bands. My insurance benefit also has online zoom fitness classes for when I’m not feeling like being around people.
My physical therapist post-transplant told me walking is one of the best exercises for my liver transplant. I had to relearn how to walk, so I’m happy to be averaging 2 miles a day over the last year on my fitness tracker. That being said, I can do 6-8 miles a day if I have to, but I’m not worth much the next day lol.
I wish you the best of luck, start small and be consistent is my only advice.
I am so inspired! Thank you all for your support. I am going to try a little of everything till I find my niche. I will keep you updated on my progress. Be sure to exercise for your transplant health.
I want to get back into the gym but haven't made it there yet. There is a smaller gym around the corner from my house that i want to join. I feel better when I exercise. For now I walk my dog and get my exercise and steps in that way.