Beyond traditional treatment trial #4: Exercise you can do whilst on chemo…
A strange thing happened whilst I was undergoing weekly chemo treatments… I started to use my gym membership for almost the first time in the two years since I joined. After months of chemo I began to feel really sluggish but I didn’t feel strong enough to go for a run, so I decided it was time to check out my gym, which is literally five minutes walk from my home.
After overcoming my fear of walking through the front door I bypassed all the people on machines, ignored the bad pop cover tunes and went straight to a pilates class. After a not-so-great experience with yoga several years ago when my instructor told me I was the least flexible female he had ever taught, I was a bit unsure of pilates. Turns out I was wrong, pilates is great. There’s much less yoga-style poses and more “rolling like a ball” which is as much fun as it sounds. And the music is very calming.
After a couple of classes, I realised I could do more. In fact a day or two before my weekly chemo appointment I felt human again and I wanting to make the most of the feeling, I signed up for zumba classes. Zumba is perfect for “chemo brain” as it gets you moving and having to concentrate, but isn’t too physically strenuous. In fact I think I got more of a workout from belly laughing at how hopeless we all were at it, than the actual moves. Unfortunately the gym agreed that we were hopeless and decided to cancel the classes.
Feeling stronger, next I tried a pump class (which means weights, yeah I didn’t know that either). According to the Victorian Govt’s Better Health Channel, this type of resistance training has proven benefits for people in treatment for cancer. I have stuck with this class all through my weekly chemo treatments and still do it today. I’m not much stronger than when I began (I still use the lightest weight possible), but I always feel better afterwards.
I never thought I would be a gym person – I usually prefer to be outdoors – but I find myself there regularly and really enjoy it, despite the bad music tracks. I also like swimming in the ocean (I am building up to doing some laps) and riding my bike as often as I can. I’ve tried tai chi and it’s not my thing (it’s a little bit too sleepy), but it might be yours.
Everyone is different. You might be fine with going for a run or playing a game of netball, but if you don’t think you could manage any serious physical exercise during chemo, I highly recommend doing something to keep physically active. Even a short walk. At the very least it seems to keep the pain at bay and at best I get a kick in my day and it helps me get to sleep.
I don’t work out to lose weight or gain muscle. I do it to make me feel good and to help me stay alive. Heck, darn, I might even give yoga another go one day…
Want more information? Try Lance Armstrong’s Cancer Fitness book, after all he is the poster child for surviving through fitness, right? (Book review to come!)
