Okay, I have decided to start posting my exercise journal. Exercise has been a huge part to my cancer recovery. There's been tons of studies and articles written about exercise post cancer diagnosis and treatment. Basically- exercise, diet and weight loss can reduce the recurrence of cancer by 50%. WOW!
They say that regular exercise and weight management helps to reduce estrogen levels in the body. My tumor was estrogen positive so anything to help keep my levels down is important to me. I'm also taking an anti-estrogen drug called tamoxifen. I've been on it for one year and five months. My menopausal symptoms have been very mild (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, low libido, mood swings, and nausea) and I'm thankful for that.
With that said, I hope and pray that with regular exercise, a healthy diet, keeping my weight down, and taking tamoxifen on a daily basis that all of this will help keep cancer away. I know that there are no guarantee's but, I'm willing to try. I know that there have been many women before me who have done the exact same thing and still have had recurrences and death. This happens way to often and it still shocks me when I go to the cancer boards only to find that another sister has lost her life. Cancer is mischievous. You never know when it's going to strike. With that in the back of my mind I continue to fight and move forward. Everyday is still a fight for me. A week doesn't go by where I don't feel the aches and pains of my mastectomy surgery. Every time I do a push up, a bench press or hold a certain yoga pose I feel the pull and stretching across my chest and into my back. There are days when I walk out of class with tingling sensations in my left hand and arm. Sometimes my left hand swells if I grip the weight bar too much. Even though it's painful and a nuisance, I push through it. Because, it's all worth it to me.
The researchers found that the risk of death from breast cancer for women who have had breast cancer and walk at least an hour a week at a pace of two to 2.9 miles per hour was 20 percent lower than those who got less exercise or none at all. Those who walked three to five hours a week had a risk of death 50 percent lower than those who got little or no exercise. Those who got even more exercise also reduced their risk of death but, unaccountably, by somewhat less than 50 percent.
These findings make a lot of sense when you consider that physical activity affects circulating hormones. Lower estrogen levels among the physically active women might explain their improved survival, according to the study authors. (They noted that the benefit of physical activity was particularly apparent among women whose breast tumors were fed by estrogen.) Overall, the study makes a strong case for continuing to get regular exercise after a breast cancer diagnosis.
.....Studies have found that women who put on a lot of weight at any stage of adulthood increase their risk of breast cancer, likely because estrogen accumulates in the fat and promotes tumors.
Week Monday January 11th - Friday, January 15th
Monday
1 mile run
1 hour of Zumba
weight training circuit
Tuesday
1 mile run
1 hour of Zumba
1 hour of Power Yoga
Wednesday
Off
Thursday
1/2 mile run
1 hour of Zumba
weight training circuit
Friday
1 hour of Zumba
1 hour of Pilates
Saturday - off
Sunday - off
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