With age, your breasts tend to sag and you may experience loose skin. There’s little you can do about it, but exercises are the best approach to tone and tighten breast muscles.

Causes of saggy breasts

Women’s breasts differ widely from one woman to another. Their shape, colour, and size are all inherited traits. They developed fully by age 17 or 18. However, even after the age of 18, changes to them continue to occur due to pregnancy, ageing, and hormones like progesterone, estrogen, and prolactin. In fact, breast drooping can occur at any age due to lifestyle choices.

How exercises can help prevent saggy breast:

When perfectly shaped breasts begin to droop, it could have a detrimental impact on your self-esteem and appearance. Of course, you can’t completely alter the appearance of your breasts, but performing specific upper body exercises will help your chest muscles grow in size, strength, and firmness.

Health Shots spoke to Sonia Bakshi, Nutritionist and a fitness expert at DtF (Dance to Fitness), to find out the best exercises to help you tone your breasts.

Bakshi says, “While fat, glands, ligaments and skin can’t be toned or tightened through exercise, the muscles beneath your breasts, called the pectorals, can be strengthened through it. This can result in a lifted and larger appearance of your breast.”

Here are 5 exercises to lift your breasts:

1. Plank

• Get into a forearm plank position with your legs extended behind you.
• Make sure that your core is tight and your glutes are engaged.
• Next, slowly go into a straight arm plank, by extending one arm at a time (palm on the mat).
• Do this slowly to minimize any side-to-side swinging.
• Do not let your hips sag or go up into the air.
• Continue alternating between a forearm plank and a palm plank.

If this exercise is too tough, you can do it on your knees, or you can widen your feet.

2. Moving plank

• Start in a plank position with your head and neck neutral and your hands under your shoulders. Make sure that your lower back isn’t sagging.
• Keeping your core tight, lift your right hand and right foot off the ground, and step a foot to the right. This is one rep.
• Pause for a second, reset, and move another foot to the right. Complete 10 steps to the right, then switch sides, and make your way back to the starting point, stepping with your left hand and left foot.
• Repeat three sets.

Also, read: These 7 powerful yoga poses can actually tone and lift up your saggy breasts

3. Wall push ups

• Stand around an arm’s length from the wall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Place both palms on the wall at around shoulder-level height and shoulder-width apart, with your fingers pointed toward the ceiling. If you feel like you’re reaching too far, move your feet closer to the wall.
• Slowly bend your elbows and begin to lean your body toward the wall until your nose almost touches it. Keep your back straight and elbows bending at around a 45-degree angle (instead of straight to the sides).
• Slowly push back to the starting position.

Focus on slow, controlled movements instead of rushing. This will help you establish proper form for the most effective workout.

4. Cobra

• It’s similar to the floor push-up, except you keep your legs flat on the floor while arching your back.
• Lie face down on the floor with your hands on the floor by your chest line, shoulder-width apart.
• Leave your legs straight out behind you flat on the ground.
• Next, lift your upper body off the ground by straightening out your elbows.
• Keep your legs flat on the floor and arch your upper back.
• Lower back down to the floor and repeat.

To make this exercise easier – do it from your knees.

5. Tricep dip

• Sit on a bench or a chair’s edge that is firmly planted on the ground.
• While still seated and holding onto the seat with your palms on either side of your hip, slowly slide off the bench until your hip is free.
• All of this while your body is supported by your heels and hands.
• Now, squat back down on the bench without contacting your hip to the seat and lower your hip with the help of your triceps.
• Keep your core stable and straight as you perform this exercise again.