There is not a lot of information regarding ostomy bags, and people that have them usually tend to keep the matter private since they do not feel comfortable talking about it. This is their personal choice of course, but the misconception is that an ostomy bag is essentially like a death sentence and that we cannot live our lives like we normally did anymore. This is not entirely the case. Yes, there will have to be some adjustments and changes made to your diet and the way you might do certain things, but you can still lead a relatively normal life with an ostomy bag as well. For the sake of this article, we are talking about whether or not exercise is possible with an ostomy bag and stoma protection during exercise.
The first thing you have to do before you start exercising is to get a go-ahead from your doctor. This means that you cannot just start on your own since different cases and conditions require different levels of attention. So, get your doctor’s approval before you start working out.
You want to start with building up your stamina and tolerance. Walking can be a great way to start building your stamina. So, start slowly and work your way up to exercises at the gym from there. If you do decide to join a gym, you ideally want to consult a trainer or have a trainer that has experience working with people with ostomy bags since their needs are different. So, weights and abdominal exercises might be off the table initially, but your trainer, with the approval of your doctor, will help you build towards it. You also want to be sure to stay hydrated during workouts since dehydration is a risk with an ostomy bag.
