As an ostomate and IBD patient, many people often ask me if I am able to play sports. I tell them ‘YES’. Yes, we can actively participate in sport activities, but there may be some restrictions. For example, Larry Nance Jr. is an NBA star who has Crohn’s disease (CD). But his illness does not prevent him from staying active. Although I am not a professional athlete, I do play sports for fun with my friends and it helps my physical and emotional well-being. However, as an ostomate and CD fighter, I have to take extra precautions while being physically active.
I used to play football, badminton and volleyball before I was diagnosed with Crohn’s. After that, I put everything on hold for some time until I could adjust to my diagnosis. Then, I decided to try to be active again and to live my life on my own terms. When I play sports, I sometimes have abdominal pain, stoma prolapse and/or stoma leakage. I sometimes also have urgency to use the bathroom and feel a bit fatigued. But the benefits outweigh everything else as long as I stay hydrated and keep my body moving. So, in this article, I share my own experiences on why it is important for us ostomates to stay active and hydrated with tips on how I manage to exercise and remain fit given all the ups and downs of IBD.
Why is staying active and hydrated important?
To begin with, it is important to keep me mentally and physically well. Especially during this lockdown period, many of my IBD friends, including myself, have felt great stress and depression, have faced emotional challenges or fallen into habits we normally would not have. As IBD patients, we have to understand the consequences on our health and overall well-being. I’m certainly not perfect but I try as much as possible to maintain good physical and mental health by exercising regularly at home. Regular exercise and physical activity have helped overcome feelings of boredom, laziness, and negative thought spirals. I truly believe that regular exercise has also improved my disease symptoms over time.
Many scientific studies also point to the role of physical activity in improving our overall well-being. Being of South Asian descent can put me at greater risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases so to get ahead of all that, I motivate myself to exercise. Regular exercise is known to reduce body fat and lower blood pressure, which directly reduces my risk of cardiovascular disease and also obesity. And by being active, I am not only able to keep IBD symptoms better controlled, I am also able to keep my bones and muscles strong by circumventing common comorbidities like osteoporosis, which can happen from steroid overuse in IBD. So it is a win-win for me.
Another aspect of staying active is to find ways to socialize. Many of us IBD patients feel isolated because of our conditions and don’t want to reveal too much about our diseases. And not socializing has not been good for my emotional well-being or my self-confidence. Taking part in different sports has helped me meet new people and socialize with them in a casual setting without, for instance, having to eat a meal with them or having a drink with them which may not suit my insides. I am able to be friendly and maintain friendships with people when we go out and play basketball, for example.
Making new friends and stepping out of my comfort zone allows me to know more about myself and has helped me develop my personality and learn my strengths and weaknesses. This, in turn, creates more of a positive vibe for me to motivate myself to go out and see them and be more active. I am also able to share my thoughts, ideas, opinions, and problems with them which overall makes me feel better about myself and more confident in my own opinions and experiences.
How do I stay athletic and hydrated with IBD and an ostomy?
#1 SLEEP
I need at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep a day to stay active. Sleep helps me rest my muscles, my organs and especially my brain after a long day of work. This, in turn, helps me recover my mental and physical energy. By sleeping enough, I improve my concentration and my productivity and it gives me the stamina to stay active.
#2 HYDRATION
Living in a tropical area in Malaysia, drinking fluids is my next way to keep active and hydrated while playing sports. Water is essential for our body to maintain optimal hydration, regulate body temperature and improve overall health. I drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of plain water (warm) a day. Drinking plain water helps carry nutrients and oxygen to body cells, and it also helps remove waste products. By staying hydrated, especially when playing sports, I avoid the risk of heat stress by maintaining normal body function, thereby improving my own performance levels.
#3 BALANCED NUTRITION
Balanced nutrition plays an important role in keeping me active and helps to enhance my performance. I always make sure I take whatever vitamins and minerals my care team suggests and that are needed to optimize my performance and muscle growth. I follow a low FODMAP diet when I can and follow the talks about diet & IBD conducted by specific groups such as our friend Tina; all these tips and tricks help me manage my Crohn’s better. The ideas help me come up with better menu ideas and get me excited to follow and try something new and different.
When it comes to diet, my suggestion for others is to not to overly restrict themselves but to try to experiment slowly and carefully to figure out what works for them. I used to do a bit of trial-and-error for each food that I consumed. For example, I found that my body does not do well with food that contains any traces of egg, so I replaced it with soy- or tofu-based foods. By understanding my tolerance for a variety of foods and managing my diet properly, I am able to live as healthily as possible. This enables me to participate in sports activities without a problem.
#4 SELF-DISCIPLINE
Finally, being disciplined is important especially for an ostomate. Discipline is the most important tool to bring all my previous points together to stay athletic. As a Crohn’s patient and ostomate, it may feel hard to follow a schedule. Sometimes, I have flare-ups with abdominal pain, plus my work makes it hard at times to fit in a workout routine but I don’t let that stop me. I try to adjust my schedule around whatever situation I’m facing. For instance, I wake up early in the morning at 6am and start with a simple workout but if I am not feeling well, I will try to reschedule it at night.
It is important to stay active but sometimes we have to listen to our body’s needs as well. For me, the most important thing is to keep working out even if it is a bit less frequent or if it is a lighter or shorter workout that day. That is the kind of discipline that I maintain to ensure that I stay active.
To conclude, I have mentioned the tips and tricks I use to stay fit and hydrated and thereby physically and emotionally healthy. I personally encourage all IBD patients and ostomates to take that first step to try to get involved in whatever kind of exercises you think might suit you. Talk to your care team and start slowly and try not to worry about the unknown. Set your goal towards your health and enjoy yourselves. If I am unable to keep up, I always tell myself, “that’s fine, I still have tomorrow to give it my best.”
Exercising has helped me rebuild my confidence. It has been a tonic for me to cope with this illness and truly own my Crohn’s and my ostomy. And I hope it can help others too!
Happy World Ostomy Day to all ostomates around the world! Don’t ever let your ostomy stop you from enjoying your life and being the best you can be at whatever your dreams may be.
**Special thanks to Saravanan Nagappan for this wonderful guest blog post! To learn more about Saravanan’s Crohn’s, ostomy and fistula journey, please visit his first guest blog post: https://ownyourcrohns.com/oyc-trailblazers-saravanan-story/**
