Winter is upon us and the feeling that the year has gone so fast is with me once again. The days have grown shorter, we go to work when it’s dark and return home in the darkness. After spending a couple of autumns and winters here in the UK, I have come to learn how to keep my sanity through these seemingly endless wet and grey days. I have learned to embrace each season and to make the most of it. I now love my evenings wrapped in a cosy throw, sipping a mug of hot chocolate or a glass of wine with some dark chocolate melting in my mouth while I watch a series on Netflix together with my husband, or simply relaxing by having a hot bath with lavender salts.
However, I do have to admit that some days are harder than others; it’s not easy to keep motivated all the time, especially when you can’t see the sunshine for days on end. It is at times like this that making exercise part of our daily routine is even more important, especially when we don’t feel like going to the gym. I always force myself to do at least a short workout and I invariably feel better in the end. I take this as my ‘me time’, the time when I disconnect and don’t think of anything else but working out my muscles. I alternate between a very strenuous exercise at times or a Pilates session, and some sessions include yoga just for relaxation. I personally find that disengaging one’s mind by focusing on physical activity is the best remedy for these long winter days. This month’s issue has several articles on safe and productive ways for ostomates to stay fit and healthy. I encourage you to take a read and try out some of the ideas this month’s contributors have outlined for you.
Exercise is only one way to keep our spirits up, different things work for different people at different times. Other activities that work for me are picking up a good book and just spending a lazy afternoon on the sofa or making a nice meal with my husband. However, one of my favourite activities to do is a romantic weekend away with my husband where we can concentrate on each other as we used to do when we first met, there is nothing that invigorates me more than this.
We should not let the fact that we are now ostomates prevent us from enjoying all the things that we used to do before.