On a Tuesday evening ten women logged into zoom ready to embark on a fitness journey as part of the 2Unstoppable Strong Cancer Exercise Program. After quick introductions, “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones blared through the speaker and the warm-up began. After forty minutes of sweaty cardio and feel good movements that awesome feeling of accomplishment floated in during the cool down.
For most of the ten women, this was not only their first class of a ten week progressive exercise program, this was also their first time returning to exercise. In addition to their common goals of increasing strength, flexibility and losing some weight, these women had something very powerful in common. Within the last year, they were diagnosed with, treated for and were now survivors of cancer. Together, they would rediscover how to move in their new bodies, bodies that had been through harsh treatments, altered through surgeries and still dealing with side effects from medications meant to prevent cancer recurrence. They had found their motivation to move and they were determined to make exercise a new habit.
But how did they get to that point? We know 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week following a cancer diagnosis can improve surgical outcomes, reduce symptoms and manage side effects of radiation and chemotherapy. According to the American Cancer Society, regular exercise increases survivorship by 50-60%, particularly for breast and colorectal cancers. But in the midst of recovery, fighting extreme fatigue and having trouble performing everyday tasks, finding the motivation to exercise seems impossible.
Find Your Motivation:
Start Small. Add a few extra steps around the kitchen. Get up every twenty minutes and walk or stretch for two minutes. If you break down the 150 minutes of exercise over seven days, that’s less than 22 minutes per day. You can take 22 minutes and break it down into several two to five minute increments. Think of these smaller bouts of movement as the building blocks for larger exercise goals.
Create a New Habit. Add movement into something you already do every day. If it takes two minutes for bread to toast or coffee to make, march in place or practice balancing while you wait. Soon, your morning routine will automatically include two minutes of movement. Once you begin to create the habit of movement, your motivation will persist throughout the day and you will be inspired to move more.
Find a Support System. Grab a buddy and take a walk or call a friend as you walk. A walking partner can keep you accountable, provide social support and keep you motivated to exercise.
Define Your Goals and List Obstacles. Goals, large and small, should be written down and under each one, the plan for achievement and how you’ll overcome any obstacles that might get in your way. For instance, a goal might be to increase endurance. To achieve this, you add five minutes of walking time to your daily routine or climb one more flight of stairs each day. Obstacles might be self doubt, limited time or lack of energy. Remember, simply putting one foot in front of the other is moving forward and will help you achieve your goal!
As we came upon the last class, ten weeks into the process, each woman recounted what they had gained from the class and reflected on their goals. They felt stronger, more flexible, less achy and had more energy. Most of all, they learned that no matter what obstacles or challenges they faced, if they celebrated the small wins, motivation to exercise persisted.
Stacey Mann, a Cancer Exercise Specialist, works to inspire movement and transformation in women who have been diagnosed with cancer. Inspired by her son’s journey with Leukemia, Stacey blends her passion for helping others with knowledge of functional movement. Stacey is the Fitness Director for 2Unstoppable.