Spine - food

[treefrog]

And to expand on this topic, because I do feel it is a "healthy lifestyle" and not just diet, that is important.

Is there any kind of exercise that I can do that will benefit me, before going into surgery? I know that walking is the best exercise after surgery. But is walking before surgery good, can it make recovery easier? Will it help to stretch my hamstrings to keep them from being tight (which they are)? Is it good to strengthen my abs before surgery?

With my back pain, I think strengthening my abs will be difficult, if not impossible. But walking and stretching should be possible. Unfortunately I am a couch potato, much to my embarrassment . I do go to work, and I can walk some - though I do notice that if I walk too much it hurts my back later on. I think you all can probably understand where I am coming from.

My boyfriend laughed when the first surgeon I saw said that I was fit. But that is because he is a gym rat, lifting weights nearly every day. I am trim, in that I am not over weight, though I do carry some extra fat. Luckily that fat is on my hips and thighs, much healthier than on my belly. But I am not what I would call "fit".