Traditionally, we all believe that patients should recuperate after surgery. Coupled with postoperative pain and other reasons, many patients are reluctant to exercise after surgery, and some family members even restrict the patient’s activities. But, is this really good? Generally speaking, we can divide the postoperative recovery into two stages: the first stage is about one month after surgery, which is also called the perioperative period, and during this stage, we mainly want to prevent various complications. The second stage is about one month after the operation, which is also called the recovery period, during which we mainly help the patient to restore normal physiological functions. In both phases, exercise is far superior to rest and recuperation. During the perioperative period, the most common complication after thoracic surgery is pulmonary complication, and pulmonary infection is still the most common complication leading to patient’s death, and as life is getting better nowadays, the incidence of postoperative pulmonary embolism is also getting higher. The key to preventing pulmonary infections is to strengthen the cough, while the key to preventing pulmonary embolism is to get out of bed early. Within this phase, bed rest not only does not allow the patient to recover better, but increases the risk of these complications, so instead of blindly resting, patients should be encouraged to be more active and cough more. During the recovery period, it mainly involves the recovery of the patient’s limb function as well as lung function. For the recovery of function, exercise is clearly more effective than sedation. We recommend that patients engage in exercise within their capabilities in a gradual manner so as to maximize the recovery process and maximize the return of body function to its preoperative state. So, should I rest or exercise after thoracic surgery? Everyone should have this answer in mind.