Where Do I Start? Getting In Shape After Pregnancy

Where Do I Start?

Am I where I want to be right now?
Of course many of us wish to improve everything about ourselves no matter how happy, intelligent, attractive, financially stable, etc. we are at the present time. I feel it is a natural human instinct to want to do, be and feel better than we already are. But if you truly feel that you are not even close to being where you want to be in this stage of life, by all means strive to reach your personal goals. Perhaps you have a weight goal, a physical well-being goal, a health goal, or an academic one. Nothing creates happiness more than feeling accomplished in whatever we endeavor to achieve. This doesn't have to mean millions of dollars in your account or a perfect body to flaunt--it can be anything you want to do or be.

Am I uncomfortable with my body?
So maybe it is a physical attribute that has you down. Follow our guide to help you determine which procedure or course of action may benefit you.

Body
- Breasts
  - Too small? Breast Augmentation
  - Too saggy or droopy? Breast Lift
  - Deflated & sagging? Breast Augmentation with Breast Lift
  - Too large? Breast Reduction (insurance may apply)
  - Nipples too long from breast feeding? Nipple Reduction
  - Areolas too large and stretched out? Areola Reduction
- Stomach
  - Too fatty? Liposuction
  - Too fatty with sagging skin? Liposuction with Tummy Tuck / Abdominoplasty
  - Too much sagging skin? Tummy Tuck / Abdominoplasty (insurance may apply)
  - Stretch marks? Creams, Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Excision
  - Hyperpigmentations? Creams, Chemical Peels, Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Excision
- Buttocks
  - Too small? Exercise, Fat Grafting, Buttock Implants
  - Too large? Liposuction (be careful, can cause sagging)
  - Sagging? Exercise, Fat Grafting, Buttock Implants, Buttocks Lift
  - Cellulite? Injectable Fillers, Micro-liposuction, Fat Grafting, Fibrous Septae Release
- Thighs (Legs)
  - Too big? Liposuction
  - Too saggy? Thigh Lift
  - Cellulite? Injectable Fillers, Micro-liposuction, Fat Grafting, Fibrous Septae Release
- Calves
  - Too big? Liposuction
  - Too small? Calf Implants, Fat Grafting
  - Too saggy? Calf Lift
  - Cellulite? Injectable Fillers, Micro-liposuction, Fat Grafting, Fibrous Septae Release
- Face
  - Brow
  - Too large? Forehead Reduction
  - Too small? Forehead Lift
  - Too wrinkled? Botox, Physician Skincare, Light Based Treatments, Lasers, Brow Lift
  - Hyperpigmentations? Creams, Chemical Peels, Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Excision
- Eyes
  - Eye lids too baggy, loose or fatty? Blepharoplasty
  - Fine Wrinkles? Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Chemical Peels, Possibly Blepharoplasty, Fat Grafting and Injectable Fillers
- Cheeks
  - Sunken? Fat Grafting, Injectable Fillers, Cheek Implants, Cheek Lift
  - Sagging? Fat Grafting, Injectable Fillers, Cheek Implants, Cheek Lift depending upon degree
  - Too large, fatty? Cheek Reduction, Buccal Fat Extraction
  - Wrinkles? Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Chemical Peels, Fat Grafting and Injectable Fillers
- Nose
  - Too big? Rhinoplasty
  - Too small? Rhinoplasty with grafts
  - Breathing problems? Septoplasty, possibly partial Turbinectomy, depending
- Are between nose and lips
  - Too long? Lip Lifts, Upper Lip Border Definition (vermilion border definition)
  - Too short? Muscle Release, although be careful. This is very uncommon to have a to short lip to nose ration because as we age this area elongates and the upper lip becomes deflated.
- Lips
  - Too small? Lip Augmentation
  - Too large? Lip Reduction
  - Wrinkly? Fillers, light chemical peels
  - Peri-oral wrinkles (wrinkles around lips)? Chemical peels, Laser, Dermabrasion., Physician Skincare, Injectable Fillers, Botox
- Chin
  - Too small? Chin Augmentation
  - Too large? Chin Reduction
  - Wrinkled? Botox, Injectable Fillers, Fat Grafting, depending
- Jawline
  - Jowls? Micro-liposuction, Lower face Lift
  - Slack, sagging skin? Lower face Lift, possibly volume restoration
- Under Chin Area (Sub-mentum)
  - Too fatty? Sub-mental Liposuction
- Neck
  - Too fatty? Liposuction
  - Wrinkly? Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Chemical Peels, Fat Grafting , Neck Lift
- Skin In General
  - Sun Damage (hyperpigmentations, inelastic, mottled appearance)? Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Chemical Peels, Physician Skincare
  - Wrinkly? Wrinkly? Lasers, Light Based Treatments, Chemical Peels, Physician Skincare, Botox, Fillers, Lifts, Needling
General Physical Health
- Low stamina threshold? Increase exercise, light cardio. Please check with your general practitioner first before starting a new exercise regimen. Also look into hormone tests to determine if you are balanced properly. Chemical and hormonal imbalances can dramatically impact your health.
- Lack of muscle tone/strength? Light Resistance Exercises until you can safely increase resistance. A proper, balance diet is necessary to increase muscle mass and lower body fat percentage. Please check with your general practitioner first before starting a new exercise regimen.
- High body fat percentage? Increase exercise, light cardio. Light Resistance Exercises until you can safely increase resistance. A proper, balance diet is necessary to increase muscle mass and lower body fat percentage. Please check with your general practitioner first before starting a new exercise regimen.
- Negative body habits? Quit smoking if you do, no drinking more than 3-4 alcoholic drinks per week, drink plenty of water, eat a well-balanced diet, get at least a few hours of exercise per week, wear sunscreen.
General Emotional and Mental health
- Stress? Morning or evening walks work well, as does Yoga, exercising, painting, gardening, kickboxing, Tae Chi, martial arts--any hobby where you can use your body and unwind can be very beneficial in ridding your mind of its daily stresses. Getting a massage or seeking a therapist can also assist in relieving stress.
- Nervousness, compulsive behavior. The above can also work for these issues. Whatever you need to do to improve your emotional and mental health should be looked at as maintenance and prevention of larger problems. You can have the best body and most beautiful face in the world, but if you are stressed and your emotional health is failing, your body and mind will as well.
Knowledge, Keeping Your Mind Active
- No matter how much you think you know, you could always learn more. Whether or not you have the desire to learn is the issue. Studies have shown that keeping an active mind helps prohibit degenerative CNS diseases, genetic and viral diseases excluded. Furthering your education even on the smallest scale, think a Word A Day calendar, will keep your mind active and your learning skills honed. This is very important for overall function of the mind and body. While no one can fully stop the aging process, an undamaged brain can always learn new things.
- Teaching. Teach others can be very rewarding, from a full-on voluntary class on improving the skills of others, to teaching your child or grandchildren how to fish, read, study nature, or even a favorite childhood song can be very rewarding and fulfilling. Keep your mind and body active!
- Volunteer to help those less fortunate. While this may be rewarding to you, it can be priceless to others. Either for the physically and mentally challenged, those with debilitating or terminal illnesses, abuse shelters, animal shelters, you name it you can do it. Make a difference in the lives of others!

What are my chief complaints?
If you are uncomfortable with the way you look or feel, please read the above sections to determine what you can do to help improve your situation.

Am I ready to make a life change?
If you are reading this sentence, I believe you are. If you aren't you wouldn't be researching and determining what you need or want to do. Seeking any type of help or support is the very first step. Now, all you have to do is follow through and with a support system you will reach your goals!

Can I set away 1 hour every day?
Set away an hour a day to either exercise, read and learn, meditate, research, relax, devote it to a hobby, anything that gets you closer to your goal. Exercise is very important, a simple walk in your neighborhood or on the treadmill can keep your heart healthy and your circulation in good working order. Remember exercise is a natural form of stress relief.

Would a support network help me?
We have several plastic surgery support forums, a weightloss support forum and a mental health and stress relief forum as well. We also have a bone marrow donor support network if this is what you wish to do. There are many ways to seek support partners on the Internet, or lurk if you don't want to join in. Everyone does better with a support system in place. Don't go it alone.

Can I help others with my experiences?
If you have experience in helping others or have succeed in your shirt term, adn long term goals, please help another out. Your experience is invaluable. There will always been someone out there who you may feel has achieved more, and with everyone's help we can all reach higher goals.

Setting & Reaching Goals
The most important factor is to set small goals at first so you don't feel discouraged. Nothing ever worth having is easy to come by. However, taking forever to get you there can spin you into a downward spiral of despair and defeat. Don't let it get to you, write down a small goal, somethign that can take more more than a few weeks to obtain. Repeat this until you are closer to your goal and live life on a day to day basis.

For instance, set your goal to lose 5 lb, not 50 all at once. Ten goals of 5 lb is far more rewarding, and easier, to achieve than expecting yourself to drop 50 without any rewards. Even 5 goals of 10 lb.

Take a single class towards that degree at first instead of committing yourself to a full semester after having not been in school for over 10-20 years. Sure, you can work up but you don't have to be Superwoman. Go at a comfortable pace or you will burn out.

Don't expect to run 5 miles after you haven't put a pair of running showed on in years--or ever for that matter. Start out with walking, ease up to jogging an intermittent quarter mile. Sure, it's healthy to push yourself, but not the brink of failure by let down.

Jumping right into a healthy diet can be rewarding but if you are accustomed to eating poorly, jumping right in is the quickest way to failure. Sure, others have done it, and a support system is a good bet to keep you on track, but a little treat keeps bingeing away. Trust me on that one. You may be able to eat salmon and vegetables non-stop for several weeks or months, but if you find you still have cravings, you will eventually succumb to them. Don't look at it as a failure, look at it as "your day off." A sort of reward rather than a defeat.

If it is surgical, if you want a tummy tuck, breast lift, breast implants and lipo...and you can't afford the time, expense or pain threshold to do it all at once, only have one or two. Ease into it. This isn't a cakewalk, pace yourself. Surgery is still surgery, no matter how you want to look good all at once. There are healing times, complications, revisions, please go slow. Extreme Makeover looks appealing but the reality is these patients have full teams taking care of them, full-on droves of people assisting in any way they can to expedite the makeover process. That isn't real life, real life takes time.