Advice on maintaining cardio vascular fitness while recovering from abdominal surgery

[tapoutqueen]

I really need some advice about maintaining my fitness levels while I recover from surgery for cystocele and rectocele repair. I am 41 years old and a self confessed fitness junkie and I'm dreading losing my cardio fitness. I usually run at least 6k non stop running for 35 minutes, 5-6 times a week, average speed 10.5 k per hour, I clock up 30+ kilometres a week.
I am comfortable running at this pace. It has taken me 2 years of running to get this fit, it was really hard in the beginning, I don't want to lose my fitness.
How can I keep my speed/fitness levels up and get back to running as soon as possible.
I cancelled this surgery last year because I was dreading the recovery, but I really need to get it done.
Any help would be much appreciated.

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[physiobob]

Well I suppose this is a forced rest, sounds like you need it. Unfortunately right now maintaining your cardiovascular fitness will have to take a back seat to recovery from surgery that whose recovery does need to take priority. Any abdominal surgery takes a fair amount of time to repair and the body doesn't like things touching the internal organs and this can be problematic during the early recovery phase. As a result you need to take it easy and remember that a forced rest will bring you back stronger in the medium and long term. Think of it like you just finished the Olympics, then had a down time for a few months knowing that when you return you'll just work on some basic endurance.

Perhaps spend this time working out a better training schedule, better diet, perhaps a goal at the end of the next training phase - adventure holiday etc. This is what you have the time to do right now so don't think about maintaining the CV fitness you had as you can't. You steady workload was to go prior to maintain that so it will drop off in any case. Best of luck