Perk up your sagging breasts with these 5 exercises

Saggy breasts are a fairly common phenomenon, especially if you’re a nursing mom. Your breasts can look even more saggy if you already have large breasts. Wonder why? Well, breast milk has several health benefits for the baby, but it can impact the size and shape of your breasts. During breastfeeding, milk ducts expand, and blood flow increases, and that causes breast tissues to stretch out, leading to those saggy, fuller, and heavier breasts. 

Dr Chandrika Anand MD, DNB, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Fortis Hospital, Nagarbhavi, tells HealthShots that pregnancy itself causes such changes which may continue through breastfeeding and beyond.

According to Dr Anand, “During pregnancy, changing levels of estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin cause physiological changes to the breast tissue. The ligaments that support the breast tissue loosen and stretch to accommodate the growth of the breasts. All of these changes will happen during the course of your pregnancy, and are not dependent on whether or not you actually breastfeed.” 

In addition, changes in breasts also depend on other factors such as age, genetics, weight gain and loss, number of pregnancies, original breast size, smoking, etc.

Hence, Dr Anand recommends the following exercises to tone and lift your saggy breasts:

Since breasts don’t have muscle, you can’t firm up breast tissue with exercise. However, Dr Anand says, “Beneath the breasts are fibrous connective tissues and muscles that can be exercised to improve the overall appearance of your chest.” There are various chest exercises that are recommended to improve not only muscle strength but posture as well.

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Some of these include:

1. Push-ups

• Get on the mat in the plank position with your palms and toes on the mat;
• Slowly lower your body until you touch the floor before rising again.

2. Planks

• This exercise involves maintaining a position similar to a push-up for the maximum possible time.

3. Cobra pose

• Lie down flat on your stomach with your face down. Extend your arms overhead;
• Place your arms under the shoulders and close to your chest, palms facing downwards;
• Relax your feet while pressing the tailbone and lift your torso from the shoulders. Breathe normally. Hold for a few seconds and repeat.

4. Dumbbell press

• Adjust the bench in an inclined position at an angle of 30-45 degrees;
• Lie on your back on the bench and hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands;
• Exhale and push them straight up, directly over the chest. Ensure that your wrists are straight;
• Hold for a few seconds, and pull them back to your chest

5. Cable crossover

• Move far enough to put some tension into the band;
• Take your arms out to the sides, opening up your chest; 
• Slowly bring your hands together in front of your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows throughout the move;
• Squeeze your chest muscles in this position, then open your arms up again.

So without any wait, start practicing these exercises and see the changes!