It’s only natural you’d be very excited about your new body shape after surgery. You feel and look fantastic, and you want to maintain that with healthy eating and exercising. However, your body needs time to heal before you can push it to its maximum capacity. Certain exercises can boost recovery, but only if recommended by your doctor.
For an active person, having to rest and be still for weeks after your plastic surgery can be quite challenging, but if you hit the gym too soon, you may prolong recovery. As much as you want to go back to your exercise routine as quickly as possible, it’s imperative you give your body sufficient time to heal properly.
Here are several basic tips on exercising after you’ve had plastic surgery.
Abide by Post-Surgery Instructions
The amount of physical activity your body can take during the post-surgery recovery process depends on your physique, internal healing process and the level of invasiveness of the procedure you had done. With that in mind, it’s crucial you follow post-procedure instructions advised by your plastic surgeon. This includes regular follow-up appointments so your doctor can assess the healing process. Depending on their assessment, you might be allowed to engage in some light physical activity in the first two weeks, such as walking. As a rule of thumb, in the first 48 hours, avoid any activity.
Working with your doctor, you could develop an exercise plan, but for the first six weeks don’t expect much more than light treadmill walking and slow pedaling on a stationary bike. Even a mildly intense workout can be detrimental to your healing process. Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you’ve had breast surgery, you can exercise your legs. The point is to see and treat your body as a whole.
Start off Slowly and Listen to Your Body
All plastic surgeons will recommend post-operative patients take things slow. You should expect your initial recovery to take between six to eight weeks before you can go back to the pre-surgery workout routine. The crucial factor in the entire process is self-control – you need to limit yourself as you pay attention to what your body is telling you. Even if you’ve enjoyed heavy lifting pre-surgery, now it has to be all about activities that will have you moving so you can boost your blood circulation. This will speed up your healing and minimize the chances of complications. Focus on your overall well-being and do your body a favor by taking things slowly and allowing yourself to feel the restorative benefits of simple exercises for your body and mind.
Wear Supportive Clothing
Most patients are advised by their surgeons to wear high-quality tights and other supportive garments during exercise. For instance, if you’ve had liposuction done, you’ll be advised to wear specialized compression garments while exercising, whereas women who’ve had breast augmentation should wear a good supportive bra. Proper supportive exercise clothing can help you not just feel more comfortable and confident about your appearance, but also safe as you know they will boost your blood circulation, help your skin breathe and aid in your recovery.
General Exercise Tips
After a surgical breast procedure like a breast lift or augmentation, you should avoid doing any kind of upper body workout that affect the breasts until they are completely healed and cleared by your surgeon. This means you shouldn’t do any burpees, planks or pull-ups. Additionally, doing cardio like jumping or running will affect your chest so it’s off the limits for a while.
Following facial plastic procedures like a facelift or eyelid surgery, you’ll need to reduce any exercise that would drastically elevate your blood pressure. So, instead of taking spin classes or doing CrossFit, you should try easier aerobic exercises like yoga, cycling or walking until you’re cleared by your surgeon.
Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck surgery is among the more invasive procedures where the recovery period is typically between 8-10 weeks before you can return to your pre-surgical exercise regimens. With the abdominal muscles playing a crucial role in almost every body movement, you’ll have to limit your workouts to light walking and stretching. Any additional exercises will have to be added very carefully and gradually under the close supervision of your surgeon as your abdomen slowly heals and strengthens.
Doing excessively strenuous exercises too soon after a surgical procedure can be harmful to the body’s recovery and healing process. Exercising too hard too soon can leave you with unwanted bruising, swelling, wound separation, fluid build-up, and even infection. You might even distort the final result of your procedure with improper exercise. It’s clear that if you want to see the best results of your surgical procedure, before going back to your usual rhythm and activity, you will need to follow the instructions given by your doctor.
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in health and beauty related topics and alternative medicine. In her free time she enjoys long walks in the woods, hard exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
