Al Roker is using ‘exercise snacking’ to stay in top shape
Al Roker has revealed that he is using the ‘exercise snacks’ method to stay in shape as he awaits his third knee surgery, four months after his life-threatening health problem.
The 68-year-old Today host is an avid walker, but has relied on short bursts of exercise throughout the day to meet his fitness goals ahead of his knee replacement in late April.
“My knee is injured,” he explained on Tuesday’s program. ‘I haven’t been able to do my normal walking.’
Roker told his co-host, Dylan Dreyer, that he has been walking on the treadmill in his dressing room and also used NBC’s gym for the first time since the pandemic.
Al Roker has revealed that he is using the method of ‘exercise snacks’ (short bursts of exercise throughout the day) to stay in shape while awaiting his third knee surgery.
The Today host has been sharing photos of his daily steps on Instagram. He revealed on Tuesday that he logged 13,667 steps the day before, saying it was his “best day yet.”
Roker (pictured in 2018) has been walking on the treadmill in his dressing room and during meetings. He is also using the NBC gym for the first time since the pandemic.
The meteorologist sneaks around whenever he can, and Today contributor Jill Martin noted that he even walks during meetings.
Research has shown that exercise snacks (short bursts of movement throughout the day) can improve overall fitness and health.
In January 2022, the Journal of Exercise and Sport Sciences published a study that found that performing one minute or less of vigorous exercise at intervals throughout the day is a “feasible, well-tolerated, and time-efficient approach to improving cardiorespiratory fitness and reducing the negative impact of sedentary behavior.”
The method seems to be working for Roker, who celebrated walking a whopping 13,667 steps on his ‘wandering knee’ this week.
He took to Instagram on Tuesday to post a photo of his Apple Watch to show how many steps he logged the day before.
“Yesterday was the #bestdayyet as far as my steps on this #broken knee before my #knee replacement surgery in late April,” Roker wrote in the caption.
In 2001, Roker required surgery on his left knee due to a nagging injury from a car accident that was exacerbated by his struggle with his weight. She spent 11 days in the hospital after
A year after his first knee replacement and his painful recovery due to complications, he underwent bariatric surgery in 2002 (pictured)
Roker had his right knee replaced in 2016 and recounted his first steps (pictured) for the Today show during his recovery.
Roker has been candid about his weight loss over the years and celebrated the 20th anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery on March 15, 2022.
The meteorologist also thanked the Start Today ‘family’, who participate in the program’s 30-day walk challenges, for their support.
Last week he shared on Instagram that he was happy. back to walking more than 10,000 steps while facing his third knee surgery in two decades.
‘Before my left knee caved in, a day of 10k+ steps wasn’t a big deal. Today was the first day, I felt good walking so much,’ he explained after taking 11,184 steps. “But knee replacement for this 22-year-old knee replacement is just around the corner.”
In 2001, Roker required surgery on his left knee due to a nagging injury from a car accident that was exacerbated by his struggle with his weight.
“Due to complications, I was in the hospital for 11 days,” he said. Today. ‘And after a tough rehabilitation, back on the air after a month.’
A year later, he underwent gastric bypass surgery after promising his dying father, Albert Lincoln Roker Sr., that he would lose weight.
He also had his right knee replaced in 2016, his hip in 2019 and shoulder surgery in 2021, among other procedures.
On March 15, 2022, Roker marked the 20th anniversary of his gastric bypass surgery and said he will “never forget” how far he has come since losing more than 100 pounds.
He marked the occasion on Instagram by sharing photos of himself in his old jeans to show how he was half the size he was two decades ago.
“Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today I wore these size 54 Levi jeans for my #gastricbypass at 340lbs and here I am today,” he wrote in the caption.
“It’s still a struggle, but I’m never going back,” he added. “I have setbacks and struggles every day, but I never forget how far I’ve come.”
Roker suffered from blood clots and internal bleeding late last year.
He endured two hospitalizations and a seven-hour surgery to treat his life-threatening health problems.
Roker (pictured with his wife) made his triumphant return to the Today show on January 6 after his two-month medical leave.
He also shared pictures of himself trying on his old Levis, which slipped on easily without unbuttoning. The jeans were so big on her that it looked like they could fit someone else.
Roker has continued to maintain the weight with regular exercise, including brisk walking and healthy low-carb meals.
Last June he shared that he had she lost about 45 pounds by combining a daily walking routine with a low-carb diet.
“Exercise, and not extreme exercise, we’re doing that 30-day walking challenge, which improves, I think, your mental health,” he said on the show.
Roker faced a health problem that put his life in danger late last year after suffering from blood clots and internal bleeding.
He underwent a nearly seven-hour emergency surgery to treat two bleeding ulcers. Doctors had to remove his colon, remove his gallbladder and repair a tear in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach.
Roker made his triumphant return to the Today show on January 6 following his two-month medical leave, which included a total of four weeks in the hospital.
“My doctor said that the physical condition I was in because of the walking, because of the cardio, probably helped save my life,” he explained.