me+ Recovery
Phase 3 - Getting Fitter

The information in this handbook and series is not intended to provide medical advice. You should speak with your health care professional before engaging in physical activity following ostomy surgery. In the event you experience pain or discomfort, stop the activity immediately and contact your healthcare professional.

Abdominal & Core Recovery Series - Phase 3

If you’ve been working through Blue Phase 2 for some weeks and feel ready to progress, then you can move onto the movements in Purple Phase 3, with your healthcare professional’s permission. You must be able to do all the movements in Phase 2 comfortably and confidently before progressing. Remember that everyone will progress at different rates so it’s important to listen to your body and only do what you feel ready to.

• You can continue to mix and match the moves from all the phases for as long as you wish.
• Think of each phase as a menu where you can pick and choose the exercises that feel right for you, and continue to do them when you can.
• Just try to make sure you do something every day – little and often is best.
• Remember that everyone will progress at different rates so it’s important to listen to 
  your body and only do what you feel ready to.
• Try to ‘multi-task’ the movements so you can do them while watching TV, when on the phone or while traveling or standing/sitting at your desk.

Standing Alternatives

• If you find it hard to get onto the floor or you can’t kneel, try doing the lying moves in bed, or just choose standing or sitting moves.

Getting Down Onto the Floor

• If you want to do some of these moves on the floor, make sure you get down onto the floor  and back up safely to avoid straining your abdomen.
• Avoid ‘sitting up’ hard or pulling on your abdomen.
• Use a chair or bed as support and get down onto the floor in a step by step fashion, kneeling first, then onto your hands and knees and slowly over onto your back.
• If you can’t easily get on and off the floor or you’ve had a knee replacement which prevents you from kneeling, try doing the moves on a firm bed or try some of the moves from the Blue Standing Series instead.

You should not move forward to Phase 3 until you've mastered Phases 1 and 2.

The me+ recovery series is adapted from the me+ recovery nurse training course which is RCN (Royal College Nursing) and ACPGGI (Association Coloproctology GB and Ireland) accredited in the UK and have undergone extensive peer and expert review.

Peer Reviewed by: Prof Sina Dorudi, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Mike Grice, Osteopath, Lecturer Sports Therapy and Module Leader for Athletic Movement Analysis, Dr Iseult Wilson, Institute of Nursing and Health Research.