After you have breast augmentation surgery, it’s important to rest and avoid strenuous activities, but once you’re feeling better, you may be ready to start working out again. While we’ve looked at when it’s okay to exercise after breast augmentation, Dr. Ortiz, a leading board-certified plastic surgeon in Raleigh, wanted to provide some guidelines as to the best exercises after breast augmentation, so you can stay fit and active without injury or discomfort.
Light Activities After Breast Augmentation Surgery
For the first two to three weeks after your procedure, it’s important to focus on resting, healing, and limiting your activities. While short walks can increase blood flow through your body to improve healing and minimize the risk of blood flow, anything greater than that can cause serious injury. If you received sub-muscular breast implants (meaning they were placed below the pectoral muscles), the muscle contractions from heavier exercise can even cause the implants to shift when you exercise too soon as they haven’t settled into their permanent position within the breasts.
After two to five to six weeks, your plastic surgeon will clear you for light activity and light exercise. You want to avoid elevating the heart rate too high, and with breast implants, you also want to avoid lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds.
The best exercises after breast augmentation at this stage include:
- Walking at a gentle or moderate pace for a short distance
- Slowly using an exercise bike
- Light yoga, avoiding poses that require balancing body weight with your arms
At around six weeks after your procedure, your surgeon will clear you to add more activity to your lifestyle, allowing you to engage in more moderate activity.
Examples include:
- Golf
- Swimming
- Jogging
- Pilates or more intense yoga
- Light weight training
Of course, it’s important to listen to your body and avoid pushing yourself into activities or exercises that you’re not ready for. Also, be sure to discuss your exact exercise routines and fitness goals with your plastic surgeon to ensure they’re safe for you.
Successfully Exercising After Breast Augmentation
After about six to eight weeks, your surgeon will most likely clear you to resume all your regular activities, including arm workouts, chest exercises, and weight training. However, having larger breasts can make certain workouts more challenging or uncomfortable. To help you maintain your fitness after getting breast implants, follow these tips.
Choose the Right Bra
Without the right support, jogging and other activities can be uncomfortable or even painful. Choosing a high-quality sports bra with a wider back and increased coverage can provide stability and minimize movement.
Find the Right Bra Size
Most sports bras are sized as small, medium, large, etc, so women are more likely to assume their size or assume they’re the same size in all sports bras. For the most comfortable fit, consider being professionally fitted when buying bras, or, if that’s not an available option, try on every sports bra before you wear it to exercise and adjust the size depending on the brand or even material. Your final results may be seen around 6 months after surgery. Be cautious about getting an expensive bra before then.
Choose the Right Exercise
While most women can enjoy the same exercises before breast augmentation as after, it’s also okay to change your routines to account for having larger breasts.
- Instead of running and jogging, consider using a stationary bicycle or elliptical machine
- Try water aerobics in which the buoyancy reduces movement instead of Zumba or more high-energy cardiovascular classes.
- Consider bodyweight exercises, such as squats, lunges, and planks instead of lifting weights.
Schedule a Consultation for Breast Augmentation in Raleigh Today
If you are considering having breast augmentation surgery to achieve larger, fuller breasts, our board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ortiz can help. He’s performed countless, successful breast augmentation procedures to help women feel more confident and attractive, and can help you meet your goals as well. To learn more, schedule a consultation at our plastic surgery center in North Raleigh today by calling 919-532-2270 or filling out the form below to get started.
