Working out is most likely the best thing that you can ever do with your time. Why do I say this? Because it is a well known, well researched, and well documented fact that working out regularly or getting any sort of physical activity is good for your mental health and your physical health. Don’t believe me? Just ask anyone with at least half a brain and they will tell you that I am absolutely correct. I have always been a huge proponent of working out pretty much every day of the week (except Sundays, since that is the Lord’s day of course). I have always loved working out in the morning because it can give me a great energy boost for the rest of the day and gets my mind and boby full of endorphins and pumping some blood. There is nothing better than dishing out an absolutely monstrous chest pump and 6:00 in the morning on a Wednesday in September. With all that being said, I will admit that things slightly changed when I got an ostomy. Yes - you are reading that correctly. I know what you’re thinking: How can someone as cool as me also have to wear an ostomy pouch? Well, you may be surprised to know that there are lots of cool people out there that have to wear ostomy pouches. I for one am a super cool person and I wear an ostomy pouch pretty much all the time (unless I want my output to leak out of my stoma and get everywhere).
The thing that not a lot of people know about ostomies is that you can actually live a pretty normal life even after you have a stoma put in. It may seem impossible to have any semblance of a normal life once your internal organs are completely rerouted and your body is changed forever, but this is actually not the case. I was originally concerned about now being able to workout once I had an ostomy put in, but I was surprised to learn that it is actually recommended for people with ostomies to be getting some regular exercise.
The biggest thing that you have to keep in mind when it comes to working out with an ostomy pouch is that you have to be careful not to push yourself too hard or overdo things; this is a good way to get yourself seriously hurt or end up back in the hospital. My favorite type of thing to do when I workout is to lift weights, which can admittedly be a bit risky when it comes to people wearing an ostomy pouch. I do believe that the risk for developing a hernia is much higher for people like me. However, I tend to lift lower weight for higher reps, as I feel that this is a much safer option than trying to set a new PR on deadlift every day.
In addition to being more careful in general, there are certain things that one can do to make working out with an ostomy pouch easier and more comfortable. One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of products out there for people with ostomies that they can use while working out. Certain items like ostomy belts or wraps can actually hold the ostomy pouch in place more effectively and keep it closer to your body.
