So you’re planning on getting a tummy tuck to help you reach your fitness goals, but does that mean you should be kicking it into high gear and getting in shape before your tummy tuck? While working out your abdominal muscles as much as possible isn’t necessarily going to affect your body contouring results, there are quite a few reasons why focusing on your fitness could be beneficial.
1. Set Yourself up for Healthy Habits from the Get-Go
You’ve probably heard by now that abdominoplasty and other body contouring procedures aren’t meant to stand in for traditional weight loss methods like good old-fashioned diet and exercise. So, establishing healthy eating and a regular workout routine before your procedure can help to set you up for a lifetime of healthy habits.
It’ll also be hugely important to maintain those same great habits after your procedure so that you can enjoy your amazing tummy tuck results for years to come.
2. Get As Close As You Can to Your Fitness Goal before Abdominoplasty
Doing as many crunches as you possibly can before your tummy tuck won’t make or break your results, so don’t be hyper-focused on targeting your core. But what you can do is make health and fitness a priority leading up to your procedure to help you get the best possible results. The closer you are to your target weight before your tummy tuck, the better the outcome you can expect to gain from the procedure.
3. Prepare for a Smooth-Sailing Procedure
Getting as fit and healthy as possible before plastic surgery certainly can’t hurt. In fact, it can help to support a safe, smooth and seamless surgery. Generally speaking, the healthier you are going into surgery, the lower your risk of complications during your procedure and as you recover.
Discuss the potential risks and what to expect before, during and after your tummy tuck at your consultation.
4. Know the Difference between Weak and Separated Muscles
One of the most common concerns that women who are considering a tummy tuck have is the dreaded post-pregnancy pooch. No matter how hard you work out, that belly bulge just doesn’t seem to budge. Well, as it turns out, there could be a very solid reason for your struggle — a medical condition called diastasis recti.
Diastasis recti occurs when your abdominal muscles are stretched so much that they separate down the middle, creating a bulge in the center of your abdomen, usually near your belly button. If this condition is causing your belly pooch, no amount of sit-ups or other exercises will fix it. That’s where a tummy tuck comes in.
5. Be Sure to Take a Break during Your Tummy Tuck Recovery
If you got super motivated to stick to a regular workout schedule leading up to your tummy tuck, great! But don’t go overboard with exercise when you’re supposed to be taking it easy and recovering after your procedure. Pushing your body to do too much too soon can not only put you at risk for developing complications, but it can also slow down the healing process and interfere with your final results.
As gung-ho as you might be to bounce right back to your exercise regimen after your tummy tuck, follow your plastic surgeon’s physical activity guidelines as closely as possible if you want to see the best results possible.
At Pacifica Center for Plastic Surgery, Dr. Daniel G. Kolder, M.D. has established one of the most reputable plastic surgery practices in Southern California. The practice draws patients from Camarillo, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and all of Ventura County.
