Once you’ve had your tummy tuck, it’s tempting to want to jump right back into the gym and make your midsection look even better with ab workouts and exercise. But it’s important to let yourself heal, and your muscles repair after surgery. Here are four simple steps to help ease you back into your workout routine after tummy tuck surgery.
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Listen to Your Doctor
First and foremost, when it comes to exercise after a tummy tuck, you’ve got to listen to your doctor. Don’t take your recovery plan into your own hands. Work with your surgeon on when and how to get back into your exercise routine and lean on their expertise.
Don’t start any kind of routine before you’ve been cleared to exercise!
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Start Slow and Easy
When you’re cleared to start working out again after your tummy tuck, take it slow. Start by just sitting up. It might sound simple, but in the beginning, this is enough. Use your own muscles to lift yourself up from laying down, to sitting, to standing. Once you’ve nailed this, your surgeon can let you know when it’s time to move on to light cardiovascular activity, like taking a nice walk.
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Work Up to Abs
For a while after surgery, you’ll need to avoid targeting your abdominal muscles. It might be several months before you’re doing crunches in the gym and working on that six pack, but your body needs time to heal and repair after your tummy tuck. Once again, your surgeon will let you know when it’s time.
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Listen to Your Body
If ever you’re experiencing discomfort outside of the natural discomfort of healing, stop and consult your surgeon. Stay closely in tune with your body while you’re healing and listen to its signals for rest and for movement. Tummy tucks might be mostly cosmetic, but they’re still surgery, so you need to take care of yourself as though you’re healing from an operation — because you are.
