Working Out With After an Ostomy

Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be a personal trainer. I absolutely love working out and all the things related to that. I started working out when I was in high school in the weight room and felt super cool about it. Not only was it a nice way to attract the ladies, working out also gave me an opportunity to connect with my friends who also worked out. It is scientifically proven that people who regularly workout or do any type of exercise at least 2 to 3 times a week live longer, happier lives. You can’t argue with science, so don’t even try! I have kept working out as a big part of my life all throughout college and into my adult life. Once you find a local gym that you really like to go to, the rest happens naturally. During COVID I even built my own home gym in my garage in order to keep working out during the lockdown. Since all the gyms were closed, people’s mental health really struggled. That just goes to show you how important working out is.

I recently underwent surgery in an unfortunate turn of events. My life was turned a little bit upside down when I had an ostomy and a stoma put in my body. I felt as though my entire world was changing and that I would never be able to do the things I used to enjoy because of the addition of a stoma. I was especially worried about not being able to workout anymore, which is still a really big part of my life. I knew that, without exercising regularly, my mental and physical health would begin to suffer. I know that working out regularly extends my quality of life and life expectancy and I was very upset when I started to think about all the differences my ostomy would create in my life. I talked to my doctor about these issues and asked him if there was anyway in which I could still exercise with a stoma.

To my delight, my doctor told me that working out with a stoma is totally possible! He said that it is actually recommended that I be doing some exercise after I’ve recovered from my surgery in order to stay in better shape and better health. I was super happy about this and I could feel a wave of relief wash over me. The first step, though, was to go through the whole process of recovering from my surgery and adjusting to life with a stoma. I took several weeks off of work and did not exercise at all during that time because I did not want to risk complicating things with my stoma. During that time, I mostly relaxed at home on the couch and got caught up on shows I’ve wanted to watch.

Now that I have fully recovered from surgery and am trying to adjust to life with a stoma, I have definitely made working out a regular part of my routine again. I can do just about anything I did before, though I don’t do a whole lot of strength training with barbell squats or deadlifts. I prefer to keep things simple after my ostomy and keep my stoma protected.

Working Out With an Ostomy Bag

I absolutely love to workout. It started becoming a part of my daily life while I was in college, and it is something that I truly enjoy. Working out is great because it can help relieve stress and be extremely beneficial for your mental health. Depending on the person, some people like to workout at different times of the day that best fit their schedule and preferences. I used to workout in the mornings very early before work started, but after about a year I began to feel very tired of that routine and stopped enjoying myself when I worked out. Instead, I started going to the gym in the evenings after dinner. I originally wanted to go before dinner right after work gets out, but I quickly realized that many people like to workout during this time which makes the gym super busy. So instead, I go home and eat dinner, wait for my food to settle while I relax for a bit, then hit the gym around 7:00 or 8:00 that evening. I really like working out in the evenings because it is a good way to end the day and to get some energy out.

After complications with my colon, I underwent surgery to get an ostomy in my lower intestines. This was several years ago now, and I have spent a lot of time getting my life back on track with a stoma in my abdomen. I wanted to get back to my normal life as best as I could, which meant that working out still needed to be a part of my daily routine. I went online and found as many resources as I could from people who had ostomies as well. The internet is great because you can really find just about anything on there. I made sure to look up how people were doing in regards to working out with an ostomy bag and if they had any tips I could take from. 

The most important thing people were saying in regards to working out with an ostomy bag is to do what feels right. Oftentimes, people who are really serious about their gym will try to push themselves everyday to get some serious gains by summer time in order to impress the ladies. Working out with a stoma, though, requires a lot of care and attention to how your body is feeling. You don't push yourself too hard and end up having medical complications that require further hospital visits and surgeries; do what feels right for your body and don’t do anything rash in the weight room.

One thing I read online is that people who have an ostomy are at great risk for having weakened core strength due to digestive and bladder problems that have existed for years. This means that working out your core could be very beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing if you have a stoma. Hip extensions, arm extensions, pelvic tilts, and leg extensions are all great ways to strengthen your core and have you feeling better mentally and physically. I hope this article was helpful for you in navigating your way through life with an ostomy, and I hope that you are able to get out and exercise. Remember, the only bad workout is the workout that didn’t happen!