Exercise with an Ostomy and Crohn’s disease, Colitis IBD

Keep your body Moving

Keeping your body moving and being active is really important. Your body is designed to move, it is not designed to sit around all day! This leads to even more loss of strength and energy.

But what do you do when you are already depleted through Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis?  If you have any ostomy, there may be fear about doing activities again.

Elaine explains and demonstrates some easy to do movements in this video. She has been teaching yoga for 18 years, is very skilled and experienced as well as being very active without being a health nut. She plays sports, swims, surfs, skis.

Being open to the possibilities

There are gentle and healing movements that are nourishing for the physical body and the nervous system.  There may be exercises that you avoid while in a flare-up or when you initially get an ostomy.

But, keeping an open mind to what you can do in the future is important and inspiring. Being mindful of the words that you use, avoiding “I’ll never be able to do…” or “I’m always to sick”…or “I can’t do that”.

Instead use words like “in the future that may be possible” or “when I’m feeling better or have more energy”

Appreciation for your health and movement

Elaine knows what it’s like, not being able to move, being so sick that it took every ounce of energy to do the simplest of things. When you go through an illness you have extra value of what it means to feel good and an appreciation for your health.

If you have had surgery it is imperative to give yourself enough time to heal and not to do any heavy lifting.

Hernia’s with an ostomy

With an ostomy there can be fear of hernia’s or not knowing what is safe to do. A hernia can develop from a weakening in the abdominal wall. It can happen to anyone. You may be more susceptible though if you have an ostomy. Having a strong core is important but doing core exercises correctly is the key. You can check out this video link specifically for that.

Free Guides

Remember to get your free guide:

“3 Simple Ways to Eliminate Fears About Your Ostomy”

YouTube: Elaine O’Rourke Yoga, Ostomy, IBD