So, you’ve just gotten the stomach, legs, or thighs of your dreams with the help of liposuction, and now you’re ready to jump back into your usual daily life!
A typical day for you may encompass work, taking care of your kids, and attending corporate meetings. These are all things you can easily jump back into following a liposuction treatment due to its minimal downtime.
But how should you approach your workout routine after healing from your recent liposuction? With slow intent, and the right timing!
The team at The Lett Center in Nashville, Tennessee, wants to provide you with a guide to maintain your liposuction results with the right exercises and lifestyle changes. Let’s take a closer look at the steps you can take and apply to your regularly scheduled workout routine.
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is an invasive surgical procedure to remove excess fat that has been resistant to other forms of exercise or diet, to better contour or enhance targeted parts of the body. The most common areas on the body that are treated with liposuction include:
- Stomach
- Thighs
- Arms
- Chin
- Hips
- Buttocks
For many patients, liposuction is a life-changing procedure as it can boost self-esteem in patients who have tirelessly tried to lose stubborn fat in different parts of their bodies.
Yet, it’s important to keep in mind that liposuction is not entirely a weight loss solution. If you are looking for more concrete options for weight loss, in addition to diet and exercise, consider talking to your doctor about weight loss injections like Ozempic.
Liposuction Recovery Timeline
A typical liposuction session can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the areas being targeted. In addition, your doctor may provide you with local or general anesthesia, again depending on the amount of areas being treated.
Once your procedure is complete, your provider will share with you what your recovery timeline can look like and what you should expect.
Here is an average liposuction recovery timeline for a majority of patients:
Week 1: Immediately after, and in the days following, your liposuction procedure, the biggest thing to do is to take it easy, and rest! During this time, it is normal to experience swelling, bruising, and moderate pain. To promote healing, be sure to follow each advice given by your doctor regarding levels of activity and compression garment wear.
Week 2 -4: In the 2 to 4 weeks following your liposuction session, you will notice a decrease in swelling, bruising, and pain, getting you closer and closer to your final results! Your doctor may also encourage you to take gentle walks to promote circulation and prevent blood clots.
Week 4-6: During the 4 to 6 weeks after your liposuction session, swelling and bruising should continuously go down, and you can slowly walk back into lighter exercises.
Week 6 and Beyond: Once you hit week 6, you may have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Lett or your medical provider to ensure everything is right as it should be! When your doctor gives you the “OK,” you can slowly but surely jump back into your normal exercise routine, keeping in mind whatever guidelines they provide you with.
5 Best Exercises to Help Maintain Results After Liposuction
Now that you have been given the green light to get back to your normal exercise routine, there are some to lean into to keep and maintain your results after liposuction. However, rest is just as equally important! Here is what a workout schedule could look like for you when wanting to maintain liposuction results:
Sunday: Rest
Monday: 45 – 60 minute weight lifting session
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 45 – 60 minute cycling session
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 45 – 60 minute weight lifting session
Saturday: Rest
Swimming
Whether you’re indoor or outdoor, swimming is a low-impact exercise that helps with circulation, while also helping to tone muscles overall. Most community fitness centers have swimming pools to either swim solo, or offer swimming groups for adults. Swimming targets areas on the body that liposuction is typically used on like the glutes, abdomen, and legs. Opting to swim is another great form of cardio too, as it boosts heart rate, but is still easy on the joints!
Cycling
Similar to swimming, cycling can also be low-impact and can be performed indoors or outdoors, whichever you prefer! Cycling can be a solo outing, on a local bike trail or with friends at an indoor cycling class nearby. Additionally, cycling can be as high impact or as low impact as you’d like! What makes cycling an excellent exercise for maintaining liposuction results, such as liposuction on the front portion of the thigh, is that cycling targets the quads. Beyond this muscle group, cycling also works to tone the lower body like the glutes and hamstrings. Cycling is also an ideal form of workout for the person looking for high cardio to burn calories and improve overall endurance.
Light Walking
Light walking in your neighborhood with a friend or on the treadmill can be deeply impactful on your body in the days and weeks following liposuction. For one, light walking promotes circulation in the body, which can help with swelling, which is a normal side effect of liposuction. Secondly, light walking impacts the lower body, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, muscles commonly treated with liposuction!
Light Strength Training
One form of exercise that you can slowly introduce after 6 weeks post-op is light strength training. Strength training can be either low-impact or high-impact and helps to maintain liposuction results as it can target an array of muscle groups, all working to melt fat, tighten skin, and tone the body. Whether you received liposuction on your arms or abdomen, strength training can target these areas to showcase more lean muscle mass and really sculpt the areas you had treated. Consistent strength training can also boost metabolism, keeping you feeling not only looking great but also feeling great!
Pilates
Pilates is one fabulous way to maintain results from liposuction as one of its main focuses is on core strength – an area also commonly treated with lipo! Pilates is also more of a low-impact form of exercise, but don’t let that fool you; the main idea behind Pilates is time under tension with slow, controlled movements. Overall, pilates can tone glutes, abs, back, hips, and inner thighs – areas that are no stranger to a lipo session.
(Reminder: ease your way into these routines, and listen to your body if you feel as though you’re overdoing it.)
Lifestyle Changes to Make Following Liposuction
While liposuction is a life-changing and self-esteem-boosting procedure, it can be helpful to make lifestyle changes following lipo. In addition to curating a consistent workout routine to maintain your results, be sure your diet is both sustainable and focused on quality, whole foods. Protein should be your best friend to see results when exercising while also adding in adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and limiting processed foods and sugars.
Meal Plan to Maintain Liposuction Results
Creating a meal plan to help maintain liposuction results can feel daunting, but it is easier than you think when your focus is on high protein and whole foods. Here is one example of what a meal plan can look like if you want to keep your liposuction results:
Day 1:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, blueberries or orange, and black coffee or green tea
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with olive oil and lemon dressing with broccoli
Dinner: Baked salmon with sweet potato and asparagus
Day 2:
Breakfast: Veggie omelet, banana, with black coffee or green tea
Lunch: Turkey wrap with whole-grain tortilla, avocado, carrots, tomato and light vinaigrette dressing with a side of baked sweet potato
Dinner: Grilled shrimp with cauliflower rice and sauteed spinach
Day 3:
Breakfast: Protein shake and overnight oats
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with olive oil and lemon dressing with broccoli
Dinner: Grilled steak with roasted brussels sprouts and a small portion of brown rice
Day 4:
Breakfast: Avocado on whole grain toast with poached eggs
Lunch: Grilled salmon with kale salad, cucumbers, and a lemon-tahini dressing
Dinner: Baked chicken thighs with a side of sautéed zucchini and quinoa
If you need help creating a meal plan or need guidance on what foods to add to your diet, consult with your primary care doctor or a dietitian.
A Few Last Thoughts on Post-Liposuction Exercises…
Ultimately, the goal you want to aim for following liposuction is one focused on staying healthy while also honoring the results of your liposuction. Be sure to get clearance from your doctor before getting back to the gym, and follow any and all guidelines, such as wearing your compression garment to promote healing and get the results you want!
Liposuction with The Lett Center in Nashville, Tennessee
No matter if you’re on the fence about undergoing liposuction or ready to book your appointment today, why not consider Dr. Lett at The Lett Center in Nashville, Tennessee. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lett has the knowledge and experience needed to guide each patient towards the right procedures for the results they’re looking for. Beyond liposuction, we also offer BodyTite and CoolSculpting, just to name a few top treatments.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Lett. We look forward to meeting you, and helping you to achieve the body of your dreams!