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Exercise And Breast Cancer
By Sherri L Dodd, Thu Dec 8th
Taking every opportunity to distribute my Mom Looks Greatpostcards, I stopped by a children's clothing store one Sundayafternoon. Upon leaving the parking lot, my six year old soncaught a glimpse of "those ribbons with two lines". In myhalf-engaged attention, I acknowledged his observation thatthere were "more than three" on this one particular car. Fromhis persistence to gain my feedback, I began to focus on ourconversation. I informed him that I was not exactly clear ofwhat he meant by the description of this two-lined ribbon. "Youknow...the red one...the boob problem...and the...". Groundzero! I realized that he was speaking of the Awareness Ribbonsthat so emphatically adorn various vehicles these days. Istarted to chuckle at his innocence in remembering my recent15-minute explanation of as "the boob problem".After we enjoyed the moment, I struck a more serious note toremember that the disease is far from funny and can leaveheartache and devastation in its vicious path. In fact,according to Dr. Susan Love, affects 110 womenevery day. My first encounter as a Personal Trainer with a recoveringbreast cancer client came quite a few years ago and meeting herwas quite an experience. If you have ever met a breast cancervictor you will notice that their eyes reflect a beautifulunderstanding of life. My encounter with my client came while Iworked at a swim and racquet club. Even the way she approachedme was filled with grace. Wanting to strengthen her body afterthe illness, she inquired about a weight training routine. Shehad a beaming, yet subtle smile with each simple question thatshe asked of me. To look at her would never disclose of herrecent pain. Her hair was a typical short style of a middle-agedwoman and her legs still presented the years of tennis that kepther fit. I was honored to take the position as her trainer andwe worked together on a program toward rebuilding her body fornot only the purpose of strength and endurance, but to attain atouch of inner peace as well. Recovery from is not so different a program thansimply exercising to avoid such a catastrophic event in awoman's life. If you have followed fitness for any amount oftime, visited your doctor or taken a class in school, theinformative path to righteous living is well paved with gettingthe blood flowing and the heart pounding. In turn, you increaseyour chances of avoiding disease (heart-related, cancer,diabetes). Likewise, if you have successfully battled thedisease and yearn for a method of attack against it recurring orsimply want to lessen the unpleasant after affects, theall-knowing finger will be pointing in the same direction...thelocal gym. Even as early as the 1980's, research was provingthat aerobic exercise improved fatigue levels and nausea in postcancer patients. Fast forward to present and the benefits havemultiplied over the years. Subsequent studies indicate thatweight training, aerobic exercise, and fitness emphasizing mindand body (i.e., yoga) all have a substantial
impact of up to25-50% improvement on pain, fatigue, overall optimism, thegeneral fitness level of the individual and how much a personcan improve their quality of daily life, complete withenergy-draining tasks.
It is clear that exercise plays a tremendous role in helpingbreast cancer survivors feel better. So what are the details ofprogram design? First and foremost, you want to stay clear ofstress on the surgical or stitched area. Next, and just asimportant, begin with the usual 10-15 minute warm-up, no matterif you are doing weight training sets, a cardio routine or anumber of yoga poses. It is after this warm-up that varietybegins. For resistance/weight training exercises, you will wantto start the initial phase of your program with a lowered weightvolume but with up to double the repetitions. Elastic tubing andbands are also a good start for the first phase. Though you maynot be directly working the muscle tissue in your surgical area,many muscles work together in stabilizing another muscle'scontraction. The lesser weight will insure that your wound isnot overexerted to soon. The standard 2-3 sets are appropriatewith 15-20 repetitions. Another area of exercise is that of cardiovascular training.Cardio machines such as the treadmill or elliptical machines areacceptable and can be used for 3-4 days per week. In yourinitial phase of a recovery fitness routine, you may want tofollow an interval program where you begin the session with ahigher-intensity minute followed by a low-intensity minutetotaling up to thirty minutes. As your condition improves, youcan reduce your low intensity minute to 30 seconds andeventually eliminate it all together. Finally, mind and body exercises such as yoga go a step furtherin fitness. Not only are you strengthening your body, you arealso tapping into inner peace with each slow and controlledbreath. Ideal for achieving relaxation, this type of trainingcan be utilized for as little as 5-15 minute a day and stillpresent positive results. While awareness has reached far heights as that offormer president, Bill Clinton, who signed the Breast andCervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000, it doesnot stop the fact that the disease continues to take more andmore lives. While a cure is currently elusive, preventativemeasures are not. Engaging in a fitness program that includeshealthy eating, routine exercise and positive mental developmentis a safe bet of increasing longevity. About the author:Sherri L Dodd is the creator and author of the newly-releasedbook, Mom Looks Great - The Fitness Program for Moms. She is anACE-certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle & Weight ManagementConsultant with over fifteen years of exercise experience. Shehas lectured to groups on her fitness plan and is a freelancewriter on the topics of fitness and general nutrition as well asthe humorous side of motherhood.
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