Get ready for surgery

Prehabilitation

Research shows that patients who are fitter before surgery recover faster, have fewer complications, and spend less time in hospital.

Prehabilitation has six main parts:

• Stop smoking and vaping
• Breathing exercises (before and, more importantly, after surgery)
• Reduce alcohol intake
• Aerobic exercise
• Strength training
• Mental readiness

Aim to start at least 4–8 weeks before your operation if you can.

Stop smoking and vaping

This is one of the most important things you can do before surgery. You could lower your risk of a complication by up to 40%. Smoking reduces the oxygen reaching your heart and other vital organs, raises your risk of breathing complications, and slows wound healing. Longer term, it increases your risk of heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

Aim to stop at least 8 weeks beforehand. Even 24 hours helps. If you are ready to quit smoking, Quitline can support you with a plan designed to help you, all for free.

Breathing exercises

Why this matters

Every day, you breathe in bacteria and particles from the air around you. Your lungs clear these continuously using a layer of mucus and millions of tiny hair-like structures called cilia, which work like a moving belt, sweeping debris upward to be coughed out or swallowed.

Anaesthetic medicines and prolonged bed rest temporarily impair this system. Without active steps to compensate, bacteria can build up and cause a chest infection (also called pneumonia). Abdominal and chest surgery adds another challenge: your main breathing muscle, the diaphragm, is held back by pain and surgical trauma, making deep breathing feel difficult.

Up to 50% of patients undergoing major abdominal or chest surgery develop a breathing complication (including chest infections and pneumonia) if breathing exercises are not performed. For non-major operations this is up to 30%.

The good news: starting deep breathing exercises as soon as you wake from anaesthesia significantly reduces this risk. Practise before your operation so you know exactly what to do when it counts.

How to do your breathing exercises

Work through the cycle below. Aim to complete 20 deep breaths per session, and do a session every waking hour after surgery. Before your operation, practise 2 to 3 times a day so it becomes natural.

1. Take a big, slow breath in through your nose, letting your chest and abdomen expand fully.
2. Pause briefly at the top, then take two short extra sniffs to fully inflate your lungs.
3. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Let the air rush out freely. If you feel any phlegm, press a folded pillow or both hands firmly against your wound and have a strong cough.
5. Repeat until you reach 20 breaths per session.

Try the guided breathing timer

Download: Preventing Lung Problems After Surgery (PDF)

Reduce alcohol intake

Cutting down alcohol lowers the risk of bleeding, infections and heart complications. Stopping harmful drinking before surgery can lower some complications by up to 75%.

Is your drinking OK? Fill in this quick questionnaire to find out. Extra help and support can be found here.

Aerobic exercise

Activity that raises your heart rate and deepens your breathing. Brisk walking is ideal. Aim for 30 minutes each day, split into shorter blocks if needed (for example, three 10-minute walks). Build up gradually.

Strength training

Exercises to maintain muscle mass. Try 60 to 100 sit-to-stands through the day (sets of 10 to 20 using a chair), plus arm curls with a light weight.
Stop if you feel dizzy or unwell.

Mental readiness

Feeling prepared and knowing what to expect reduces anxiety and helps you take an active part in your recovery. Read through the educational information your team gives you, and the guides on this website, so there are no surprises along the way. Simple relaxation or breathing techniques, a regular sleep routine, and arranging help at home before you come in all support a calmer, smoother recovery.