ENCORE #150! – 10 Exercise TIPS for Cancer Folk (and don’t forget the significant others!)

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer in March of 2011, there was a deafening silence from the men I knew. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The following entry first appeared in December of 2015.

“You should just exercise! It will take away the stress! It will help you heal faster! Exercise will make you better!”

Cool.

Fine. Sign me up for the next Grandma’s Marathon! Running twenty-six miles should be good for at least one chemotherapy session, right?

Exercise…

What exactly does this mean? How do I turn “exercise is good for you” into something I can DO? Oh, and is the “exercise is good for you” mantra only for the loved one with cancer? What about me – who put on something over ten pounds during the chemo sessions and can’t seem to shake the weight now? 

The answers to these questions a literally scattered all over the internet, so I’ll try and analyze and condense them here into TEN workable breast cancer treatment and after-treatment practical exercise tips (ALWAYS TALK TO OR CALL YOUR CANCER CARE CENTER BEFORE YOU START ANY KIND OF EXERCISE TO SEE IF IT’S SAFE FOR YOU):

1) “‘You don't have to be Lance Armstrong,’ stresses Dr. Julia Rowland of the National Cancer Institute, speaking from a survivorship meeting this month that highlighted exercise research. ‘Walk the dog, play a little golf.’” Walk the dog, walk to the end of the block, walk somewhere. Several people recommended finding a neighborhood indoor mall that opens early and walk the perimeter before the stores open. Walk!

2) “Researchers think exercising together may help both partners stick with it. They also are testing whether the shared activity improves both physical functioning and eases the strain that cancer puts on the caregiver and the marriage.” Walk with a loved one (in my case, ME! I should be walking and exercising WITH my wife. WALKING. Doing DANCE FEVER to an enjoyable music routine. Life weights – or cans of soup if you don’t have weights. A little weight lifted a number of times during a day counts as exercise! Hide the weight in your work locker or in a desk drawer – or leave it out and tell people what you’re doing. You will find a remarkable amount of support.

3) “For example, Schmitz led a major study that found careful weight training can protect against lymphedema, reversing years of advice to coddle the at-risk arm…” See #2 – lift anything! (By the way, this is called resistance training – the weight “resists” being lifted.)

4) “…at-home exercises with some muscle-strengthening, plus a better diet, could slow physical decline.” There are dozens of DVD exercise programs. If you can’t buy one, check one out from your local library or ask to borrow one from a local gym, YMCA or school. Do as much as you can, then stop. (See #1 above!) Also, lifting the DVD into the player is exercise! Here’s the address for a DVD specifically for breast cancer survivors: http://www.strengthandcourage.net/

5) Arms at your side, hold a towel in both hands. Using the unaffected arm, pull the other behind the back. Alternate Pain is to be respected and the stretch should be held to the point of discomfort not pain .The stretches should be held from 5-10 seconds at first, gradually increasing the length of time. It’s better to do this several times during the day, rather than all at once. With arms bent (on either side of the head), hold a towel in both hands. Using the unaffected arm, pull the other behind the head.

6) “If lymphedema is a concern, you…should be fitted with a sleeve which is worn while exercising especially when lifting weights. Progress…slowly and start with a light weight – ONE pound is just fine.”

7) Walking and cycling are quite beneficial as are swimming, cross training, or aerobics. It is best to begin with a 5-10 minute walk to judge...if a long period is too much, multiple shorter aerobic sessions are fine. Your goal will be to gradually increase the time period engaged in aerobic exercise and to slowly increase your exercise tolerance.

8) Doing yoga can provide flexibility benefits as well as instruction in stress reduction techniques that can prove beneficial. [I know nothing about yoga, so start with a library visit or a YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vLZqPZxZE]

9) Yep, I’m sayin’ it again: “Walking, a common fitness choice, offers the benefits of aerobic exercise without overly straining the body. According to a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the benefits of walking peak when a breast cancer patient or survivor walks 3 to 5 hours weekly at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour.”

10) Find a swimming pool and join a waterobics class; if you can’t join a class, get this CD: http://www.maryessert.com/bcr.htm This site lists the exercises and exactly how to do them!

References: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37978604/ns/health-cancer/t/get-moving-cancer-survivors-urged-exercise/#.TyPj4lxAb_M, http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/MoreInformation/exercises-after-breast-surgery, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Intensity_table_2_1.pdf (A really, really LONG list of things you can do to exercise!), http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/articles-and-newletters/research-articles-index/womens-fitness-health-issues/fitness-tips-for-working-with-breast-cancer-survivors/
Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5527/10893068965_1d328e8f71_b.jpg