Do you want to change?

Deanne

Hi everyone,
Being diagnosed with BC can really make you think about your lifestyle. For me, I had just been on yet another health kick (unfortunately I usually slipped up after a few months and motivation was hard to maintain), but at least this put me in a better condition to start treatment!

So, here I am 20 months post diagnosis and for the first time in my life I have been successful at making the healthy changes last! My eldest daughter (a Pilates fanatic!) bought me a diary at the beginning of 2014, just for keeping track of my exercise/activity routine.

Looking back, there is not a single day where I did not keep active in some way. I really feel that being active has become a way of life for me now. Even a week's holiday was no excuse to not go for a daily walk (2 actually) and I also swam, snorkelled and went paddle boarding!

On this day last year I swam 1km (very slowly and with a few stops!). It was only 7 weeks since I had finished active treatment and I haven't stopped moving since! Yes I have a few more aches and pains thanks to tamoxifen and left over side effects from a mastectomy, chemo and radio, but they always improve on my morning walk. Swimming is also fantastic for soothing that fluidy achy feel too!

Guess what one of my Christmas presents was this year? Yep! Another diary. I KNOW it will keep me motivated and this time next year I am confident I will still be just as active and well!

Staying well and feeling as good as possible is the best motivation to keep moving for me. Wishing everyone a happier and healthier 2015. Deanne xxx

Michelle_R

So true.  I have just spent 30 minutes on the treadmill and been in the pool afterwards, and feel energised despite the heat & humidity here at present. The exercise, followed by a fresh coconut water, has set me up for the day.

Like you, I am a great believer in exercise and healthy diet - also, fear of recurrence is a great motivator!  The exercise diary sounds like a good idea, and shall get one that also lists green drinks, Brazil nuts, Vit D3, mushrooms and greens, etc. and tick them off daily.

We have just started the 5:2 fast plan after reading Meg's blog, and have lost 1 kg already. A big pot of homemade vegetable soup made it easy on Fast day. (Much over indulgence over Christmas!)

Happy New Year to you and your family!  I hope Christmas was happy for you all!  Good Health to us all in 2015!  xxxLove, Michelle

Robyn W

You are right Deanne,and I also love exercise.Walking is my main thing,and I am just about to start swimming at our local pool.I try to never let the weather stop me,and even though it has been so humid here in Sydney lately,I still get out and walk.Have a great New Year,and I'm sure we will chat in 2015.Happy New Year to you also Michelle!! Love Robyn xox

Robyn W

You are right Deanne,and I also love exercise.Walking is my main thing,and I am just about to start swimming at our local pool.I try to never let the weather stop me,and even though it has been so humid here in Sydney lately,I still get out and walk.Have a great New Year,and I'm sure we will chat in 2015.Happy New Year to you also Michelle!! Love Robyn xox

Michelle_R

And Happy New Year to you, too!  Have to tell you that part of the over indulgence was your home made icecream - my husband and I both loved it! xxx Love,Michelle

Deanne

Sounds like a great idea to include the green drinks etc. it is so easy to slip up with it all! The specialist at the clinic where I go recommends that 5:2 plan. In his opinion it is a safe and doable plan. He told me it was the most successful he has been at losing and maintaining his own weight! I like a doctor that actually does what he recommends for his patients! Deanne xxx

Deanne

Hot and humid it is! I confess that my afternoon walk is done on a treadmill in air conditioning at the moment. The morning walk I brave the heat though. I find the swimming the most enjoyable by far in this weather! Deanne xxx

mum2jj

My husband bought me one for Cheistmas and so now have no excuse not to pound the pavement everyday. It is incredibly hot in Cairns at present and have been walking around 6pm because of it. Thanks goodness for my pool. Have been using the noodle to sit on and do a bike riding motion with my legs. It's really hard and works out the muscles really well. I race my 13year old at it. Lots of fun.
Happy new year
Paula x

Deanne

It's tropical enough down here (sunshine coast) so I can only imagine what it must feel like in Cairns!

Going to try out the noodle idea this afternoon in the pool! Yesterday I think I was actually almost sweating in the pool doing laps! Deanne xxx

mum2jj

Yes incredibly hot and sweaty here Deanne! Good luck cycling on your noodle
Paula x

jo.d

I think I might just have to get myself a diary. I am sooo good at making excuses why I just don't have time for exercise!! Maybe if I start making myself more accountable I might have more success. I really need to do something!
This morning I woke up & thought "I will go for a walk today", but of course I then thought "oh, I'll just put this washing away 1st & then I better......blah blah blah...oh no, now it's too hot. I'll go this arvo!" Anything to justify my terrible laziness for exercise!!

jo.d

I think I might just have to get myself a diary. I am sooo good at making excuses why I just don't have time for exercise!! Maybe if I start making myself more accountable I might have more success. I really need to do something!
This morning I woke up & thought "I will go for a walk today", but of course I then thought "oh, I'll just put this washing away 1st & then I better......blah blah blah...oh no, now it's too hot. I'll go this arvo!" Anything to justify my terrible laziness for exercise!!

Deanne

Using the diary means I can look back at what I did on the days that might have been hard, like wet weather, winter, really hot days, holidays, travelling etc. I also spend part of my week in an apartment in the city, so needed to find what worked there compared to home.

I think the difference for me came in the way I thought about exercise. Before it was something that I tended to do for a while to lose a few killos and feel a bit better about myself. Now I realise it might be the difference between staying well or getting cancer back again. BIG INCENTIVE! There is real evidence that exercise can improve your chance of staying cancer free.

Having treatment is tough on your self-esteem. I lost a breast and then my hair. Exercising meant that I did not also have to battle weight gain. I think it gave me a sense that I could help myself, that I was not just going to sit there and let cancer take over my whole life.

My number one priority is staying healthy, otherwise I simply might not be here to do anything else anyway! If exercising means something else has to wait or not get done that's ok. At least I'll be here to maybe do it later!
Good luck with it all. I found keeping in touch with the positive ladies on here helped so much. Deanne xxx

LeisaC

Hi Deanne,

 

Was reading through all the comments  from your original post earlier regarding a diary, was just wondering if your daughter gave you a specialised diary or just a normal diary.  It is very inspiring to read all the posts from everyone.

Leisa xxx

Deanne

It was just an ordinary diary and I just wrote down what I did each day. It was good to look back and see that I had progressed with how far I walked or swam. When I started the sessions with a physio I wrote down what I did so I could give her feedback about what I found easy or hard, so she could make adjustments. My memory is not as reliable as it used to be thanks to chemo and tamoxifen so it definitely helps to write things down. I developed short hand ways of doing it so it did not take long to jot things down. It became a bit of a challenge to add a bit of something different each week.
Deanne