The basic Guide to Live a Healthy & Active Lifestyle with a Stoma

No doubt, living with a stoma can be quite challenging. However, your stoma shouldn’t become your barrier to living an active lifestyle. Besides a few of the mandatory restrictions, you should be handling those daily chores with ease. And having an active lifestyle can not only be helpful but also transform your life for the better. Read on to learn more about the importance of physical activity after stoma surgery.

What are the benefits of staying active with a stoma?

You might be consumed with the thought about how on earth could an active lifestyle be crucial after stoma surgery. We agree that the idea of exercise and physical activity can be problematic. However, there are a few important reasons that some daily activity can be beneficial:

• Exercise after stoma will ensure better post-surgery recovery.

• After stoma surgery, some daily activity will make you regain your confidence to indulge in social activities with friends and family.

• Generally, exercise releases dopamine and makes one feel better. It also boasts one’s confidence to partake in the favorite sports and outdoor hobbies.

• If you indulge in daily exercise post your stoma surgery, it will tone your abdominal core. This will further curb the risk of developing a parastomal hernia. It is important to note here that parastomal hernia is common in people with stoma surgery. In fact, more than 70% of post stoma patients develop a parastomal hernia.

How to stay active after a stoma?

After we have gone through some of the essential benefits of staying active with a stoma, let us move on to discuss what we mean by when we say “stay active.”

First things first, the terminology of staying active rings a different bell for everyone. It necessarily means to identify the right kind of activity that suits one’s lifestyle. For instance, for someone falling into the older generation category, being active might mean taking their dog out for a walk. It could also indicate that they want to run small errands, like going grocery shopping or playing with their grandchildren in the playground.

Similarly, the terminology of staying active could also mean going for a quick jog or hitting the gym and lifting weight. Cycling and getting indulged in other forms of competitive sports also falls in this category. Whatever category you fall into, make sure that you don’t overdo yourself. Even if it is for a couple of minutes every day, that can do you great help.

Your stoma shouldn’t become your barrier to live a healthy and Active Lifestyle

Instead of making your stoma a barrier to living an active lifestyle, make it your goal to stay as active as you can. Before you switch your mindset to a winner, make sure to consult your professional healthcare provider so that potential risks can be ruled out. That said, you will also need to stay realistic while setting the expectation of yourself. After you have accepted stoma as an essential part of your life, you will start having a positive and determined life outlook, which is vital for staying active.