As a personal trainer over the past 14 years I’ve had theopportunity to work with several women as they battle breast cancer. While every woman has a different and very personal experience with thedisease, I have found there’s some fitness advice that helps in every case.
Thisis #1 because it is a rule and principle that will influence your relationshipwith your body for life. Very often, when a woman has to deal with somethingattacking her body, and causing it to act in new, strange, and scary ways, shebegins to think this body is not one she knows anymore – and this leads tofear. Therefore, it’s natural to want to avoid doing anything physical becauseyou think it might cause even more harm. Be brave. Remember that the human bodyis resilient: Yours is repairing and rebuilding every moment and isinstinctually driven towards healing.
2. Rest and recovery can include physicalactivity
I’mvery careful with the words I use: With women undergoing treatment, I use thewords "physical activity" instead of "exercise" or "workout." Why? Because thisis a time for assisting your body’s healing process and physical activity hasbeen proven by studies to promote immune system function when done at theappropriate intensity. It doesn’t mean that this is the time for attemptingyour fastest 10K; you’ll reap many benefits from light to moderate physicalactivity (check out a few suggestions below). Light to moderate activity isdefined as exercising at 50 to 65 percent of your maximum ability. This mightbe hard to estimate, so I have my clients use a one-to-10 scale where onerepresents sitting comfortably and 10 represents your hardest physical effort. At any time during an activity, take a quick assessment of the total experienceof the activity and rate your perceived exertion on that scale; you should aimfor a five or six. In my experience, the most exciting benefits from physicalactivity are improved body image, increased belief in the ability to conquerthe disease, physical resilience, faster recovery, and improved appetite anddigestion.
3. Find what you love — and do it!
Thisis an important one: Find an activity that you love, one that brings you realpleasure. This is the perfect time to learn a new activity such as dancing,swimming, walking, yoga, or tai chi. All of these activities keep your bodymoving and inspire the important metabolic and temperature shifts that keep thebody circulating and managing interstitial fluids (the circulating solutionthat supports all body tissues and muscles). This is important becauseinterstitial fluid can collect in the lymph glands and cause lymphedema, acommon condition in which the lymph glands get congested. You’ll lower yourrisk for lymphedema if you stay active; the lymph system needs assistance inits flushing mechanism, and physical activity is an ideal tool for doing that.Find an activity that encourages large, full-body movements and that increasesthe heart rate and body temperature. A little bit of sweat is beneficialtoo! This will help the body to flush the lymph system, keeping it runningsmoothly.
Whilestrength training may not be first on your beloved activity list, it will easethe challenges of cancer. Strength training encourages feelings ofphysical power, well-being, and resilience more than other activities. Itbreeds what I like to call "the Leonidas syndrome," after the Spartan leader whowas certain he could conquer any army despite the humble size of his own army.Women tend to feel they can beat anything when they are physically strong.Strength training, even more than cardiovascular activity, will also make iteasier to lose or maintain weight. I find that every woman responds alittle differently to cancer treatment; some gain weight, while others lose. Ineither case, improving your muscles’ metabolism brings about many benefits,such as stimulating overall metabolism, increasing stamina, and balancinghormones. At rest, strong muscles remain highly active, still burning a fewcalories. If you develop tuned and active muscles, you will burn more caloriesall the time, making it easier to lose weight if you need to. If you area woman over 30, strength training must be part of your physical activity inorder to avoid the muscle loss that occurs with age. I have seen amazingchanges in women that commit to a twice-weekly full-body strength trainingprogram.
Ifyou are not yet feeling energetic enough to go for a walk or pick up adumbbell, you can still make progress simply by stretching. Have a seaton the floor and pick any stretch you’re familiar with – it doesn’t matterwhich one it is. To get started, simply sit upright on the floor and open yourlegs into a V in front of you. Place your hands on the floor in front of younear your upper thighs and gently begin to lean forward. You might feel astretch in your inner thighs; in this same stretch I would feel it in my hipsand one client of mine would only feel this in her hamstrings – but all ofthese are correct! In short, you’ll feel the stretch where your body needs itmost. So have a seat, pick any stretch that you can think of, and gently ease intoit. Stretches are intended to lengthen muscles, release tension, and openjoints. Therefore, stretching should feel pleasant, gentle, warming, andbeneficial. There is also a slight contraction that occurs whenstretching any muscle, which means you’ll develop a small but noticeable amountof muscle tone simply from stretching.
Holly
What a great, helpful and empowering post! Thank you!
Mallika