Many of us view exercise as a necessary evil. In all fairness, it requires motivation, discipline, and oftentimes a dedicated regimen to get off the couch and onto the StairMaster. Amid all the viral fitfluencers and workout trends, it's easy to forget that exercise is first and foremost a powerful tool - one we sometimes take for granted. In fact, according to recent research published in JAMA Network Open, exercise is so impactful, it can be used as a form of cancer care.
According to this meta-analysis, exercise therapy (specifically mind-body modalities like yoga and tai chi) were found to significantly reduce anxiety and depression in older cancer patients, thus improving their health-related quality of life. For Amanda Butler, a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and breast cancer survivor herself, these findings aren't entirely surprising.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32, and it was - oddly enough - at the peak of my fitness career," Butler tells PS. In the beginning, she did her best to keep up with her regular fitness routine, attending Barry's workout classes, coaching clients, and filming workouts on camera through five out of six rounds of chemo. "A lot of that is attributed to my age, but also how well I took care of my body during and before treatment," she says.
"It was like, 'How do I want to feel?' And I wanted to feel strong."As treatment progressed, Butler's goals started to evolve. "Chemo eats away at your muscles," she explains. "I was really focusing on just trying to maintain as much muscle as possible while I was going through treatment." Eventually, the fatigue grew to be too much, and Butler had to take a break from exercise altogether. But even then, she was constantly thinking about when she'd be able to move again. "My focus was not aesthetic. It was like, 'How do I want to feel?' And I wanted to feel strong."
Exercise was therapeutic in Butler's breast cancer journey for several reasons - one being the sense of normalcy it provided. "Because everything is not normal. Everything is upended and uprooted in your life," she explains. "Focusing on feeling strong was meditative for me and also made me feel grounded, and [like] I had a little bit of control." Even if she was going through a tremendous health scare, it was empowering to know she was still able to lift weights or go for a run if she wanted to.
Although Butler had a positive experience with exercise therapy, she knows it can be scary to exercise in the midst of breast cancer treatment. "Fear stops people," she says. Some patients might worry about expending precious energy, getting fatigued, or triggering unwanted side effects. You should always consult a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice (especially when dealing with breast cancer), but exercise therapy is still something Butler would recommend. Especially since additional research shows exercise may improve the survival rate in patients with breast cancer, and reduce the risk of recurrence.
If you want to try exercise therapy, Butler suggests starting slow and finding new ways to stay consistent - even if that means your routine looks a little different than it used to. "It's not about going zero to 100. It's about going zero to one, and one to two," she says. "Create a schedule that is attainable."
Since going through breast cancer treatment, Butler says her relationship with fitness has changed immensely. "I always struggled for a large part of my life with over-exercising and food issues," she says. Now, she moves with the sole intention of feeling good.
"I'm always asking myself: do I enjoy what I'm doing?" she says. "It really reminds you of the things that are important."
Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. Related: Chrissy Teigen Opens Up About Her Family's Overwhelming Journey With Type 1 Diabetes Read More Details
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