Congratulations!
Hopefully you are feeling better if you are actually thinking about exercising to improve your health. Cancer and cancer treatments impact one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Regular exercise at all levels of disease can combat these effects. Celebrate the fact that you are well enough to even think about exercising! Before beginning any exercise program, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Personalized Exercise
Personalize your own definition of exercise. Everyone approaches exercise with different expectations and anticipations. It might be helpful to expand your definition of exercise to include the activities you enjoy. Depending on your level of fitness, exercise can include meeting a friend for coffee, baking cookies, going for a walk, dancing in your living room, snapping photos, scattering crumbs for the birds, going to the beach, flying a kite, shooting baskets, riding a bike, skipping around the yard, and taking the scenic route. You might want to save all your strength for one major event, like sitting in the park and watching your grandchildren, going to a baseball game, or joining a friend for dinner.
If you have never exercised or have low physical endurance because of advancing disease, your fitness goals may be different from one who is more physically active. You also may share the common goals of improving your sense of well-being, changing your sleep patterns and appetite, decreasing discomfort from joint stiffness and muscle tension, and increasing your strength, endurance, and flexibility. You may know the general benefits of exercise but need direction in your exercise regimen.
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