Congratulations!
I bet you can’t wait to get back to the gym, lift weights and start losing some weight. Am I right?
Or maybe you’ve been ill and fatigued for so long that exercising had to be put on the back burner altogether.
Either way, this article is going to help you ease back into exercising after explanting.
Some of the most common symptoms of Breast Implant Illness include:
- extreme fatigue
- poor recovery after exercise
- inflammation
- weight gain
- depression
- achy joints (especially the hip)
- muscle weakness
- dehydration
which make it a challenge to get an effective workout in.
You’re probably going to feel good after you explant, but you want to be sure to not do too much, too soon.
I follow a lot of women’s explant journey online, so I see this kind of thing happen all the time.
They end up feeling so good that they just want to get up and go, go, go. Only to be left feeling completely drained and wiped out by the end of the day.
Slow and steady wins… be patient with your body. You just had a major surgery and went under anesthesia.
For the first two weeks all I did was literally slow laps around my couch for 15 minutes, twice a day.
Be sure you get clearance from your surgeon before you exercise, and go over with him/her about what to expect with post-op recovery to be sure that you stay safe and heal properly.
The thing about exercising after explant is you don’t want to trip and hurt yourself, pop a stitch, pull your muscle or raise your blood pressure too high – which can be serious.
I wouldn’t recommend doing any kind of weight lifting or pulling until you get cleared to. And even then, you want to be sure you’re using very light weights and doing the movements slow and controlled.
I got cleared to start lifting weights at six weeks out.
Here’s what I did.
Because my surgeon made it very clear to not lift anything over head or pull anything down from overhead for a solid five weeks, I started with isolation exercises such as:
- Overhead press with a 5lb plate x20 reps (shoulders)
- Bicep curls with 5lb dumbbells
- Rope pulldowns (triceps)
- Side raises with 5lb dumbbells (shoulders)
- Upright rows with a 20lb curl bar (shoulders & upper back)
- Overhead tricep extension with a 5lb dumbbell
I made sure I went very light and slow, feeling to make sure nothing was pulling or feeling weird.
It took me about 10 – 11 weeks to feel 100% normal, to where it didn’t feel like my right breast muscle was moving and not attached (it’s hard to explain the feeling).
I’m three months out and am finally at a point where my motivation to exercise and get in shape is high because I have energy, strength and I feel fully healed.
Some basic tips to get you started are:
- Wait to get permission and clearance from your surgeon. That’s number one.
- When you do start walking and exercising again make sure you start off slow, even if you’re an intermediate and expert lifter like me. Lightheadedness and weakness can happen fast, so I’d personally be somewhere where there’s a lot of people around, just in case.
- Your body just went through a serious surgery and trauma. Be patient with it. Healing and repairing takes weeks so don’t push it just because you’re feeling good. Ease into it.
- When you start lifting weights, keep your reps in the 20-25 range. Nothing heavy or too strenuous for your body. Use it more to get the blood flowing and strengthen your muscles and joints again.
- If anything feels “wrong” or painful, stop immediately. You don’t want to take any chances with rips or tears, whether internal or external with your incision.
- Thirty minutes, three days a week is a good starting point. Feel how your body recovers and then each couple of weeks add in more frequency (days) and duration (time spent exercising).
- Rebounding is fun and also has amazing health benefits!
If you just explanted, are looking to get back into the swing of things and would like some professional guidance – I’m a personal trainer & health and fitness coach. I currently work with women who struggle with binge & emotional eating, but fitness and exercise are still a big part of what I do – professionally and personally.
… Mind… Body… Soul, baby.
Learn more about my signature program, The Size: Happy Method here.
Do you have any questions?
Comment below or ask them in my Facebook Group, Breast Implant Illness Rejuvenation and Education With Christina
Not on Facebook? Find me on Instagram and Youtube!
here’s to health, rejuvenation and massive self-love,
❤︎ Christina Roulund-Dennis
