I've always been interested in fitness, even after my Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis back in 2012 I would regularly train and lift weights when not in a flare.
After I was diagnosed I spent at least 1-2 months in hospital each year, which was frustrating to say the least.
Dan
Living with Colitis
In between illness I would live a relatively normal life, partying with friends, training and keeping fit whilst working in financial services.
When I wasn't well it was incredibly challenging. It put a strain on my career, my mental health and relationships.
Unfortunately after a particularly bad flare-up in 2017 I had to have emergency surgery to remove my large intestine as I was at too much of a risk of perforation.
This all happened so quickly it was very tough to process.
After I recovered from my stoma surgery back in 2017, I decided to get back into fitness. Ever since, I've levelled up my training and made it my mission to help others do the same.
After all, exercise is great for your confidence and mental health, alongside it's physical benefits!
My
top tips
Here's my advice for returning to training after surgery.
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Make sure you're truly ready
A bit of an obvious answer, but make sure you're completely healed and have adjusted to your condition before adding in the extra challenge of working out.
Listen to your body!
- Bring a friend
It can be worrying returning to training after some time off, so bringing a friend who understands your condition can help ease the nerves for the first couple of sessions. This will help you adjust to the gym environment and you'll have someone to confide in if things feel tough.
Another option would be to reach out to a coach or trainer who fully understands the condition so they can help you return to your training.
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Wear protection
Your abdominal muscles may have been weakened by your surgery so a good support belt is a must to help keep everything secure.
If you have a stoma, there's specific belts available for this and it disguises the stoma bag too, which can boost your confidence.
If you're lifting weights with a stoma I would recommend a good lifting belt over the top of a stoma support, especially if training heavier.
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Get the basics right
Don't rush into a complicated and intensive workout regimen.
If you're weight training, for example, focus on the main compound lifts and slowly increase weight over time.
Too much too soon will be counter productive in the long run.
Now, I'm recovered and fully embracing life with a stoma. I am in the best place mentally and physically I've been in years.
I owe a lot of this to my training and the supportive people around me who have helped drive me to be my best and in turn help others too - bag life isn't too bad at all!
We're all in this together.
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