Do you love to play tennis or golf? Think there’s nothing better than jogging, yoga or going for a swim? That’s great! Having an ostomy should not prevent you from staying fit.
With your healthcare professional's permission, you can return to most sports and activities you enjoyed before your surgery. The only possible exceptions are contact sports (such as boxing, wrestling or football) because of injury risk to the stoma from a severe blow.
People living with an ostomy include competitive distance runners, weight lifters, skiers, swimmers and many other amateur and professional athletes. And if you didn’t exercise before your surgery, there’s no time like the present to start.
Here are a few tips for resuming exercise and other physical activities:
One man who has taken post-ostomy fitness to heart is Rob Hill. Rob went from barely being able to make it up a flight of stairs, to becoming the first Crohn's disease/ostomy patient to climb the Seven Summits (the highest mountain peaks on each continent) in just eight yearsA.
You can learn more about Rob’s adventures, read other inspiring stories, and even add your own triumphs when you join me+, our support community for people living with ostomies.