I am hoping this will be a place where you will ALL share your tricks and plans, your hopes and goals for trying to be that little bit healthier each day. There is a lot of information available and it is daunting trying to sort through it.I am not only looking for guidelines and links but for your collective practical wisdom - for recipes, for places to source food, for what gets you out of bed and fed in the morning, for what makes you go to sleep at night, and alas the holy grail for what makes you hold it calmly together during the day, while juggling treatments and home and life. Nutritional Science here we come...seriously hoping we can put our heads together and support each other to be that little bit healthier each day.

Hi all - I have scanned the comments over time of this thread and have to wade in. I'm not going to be the peacemaker because as @Afraser says, we are all adults. But I will ask that we reboot the thinking to consider what makes this forum work best and the impact of the words we write.Here I see it's happened again: tone dominating content; misrepresentations and misinterpretations leading some to over reactions and then lashing out. 99% of the time this forum is positive, supportive, caring and a fabulous place for peers to share genuine wisdom through experience. We don't always have to have to last say. We don't always have to be right. We don't always have to agree. That's reality. That's the world we live in. Let's take it down a notch and think about how respectful interactions look and feel like and try to emulate that?Let's think about all the crap we have been forced to endure in this 'journey' and understand that really what unites us is far more amazing and profound than that which divides us!#justsaying :) :) :) :) :* :* :* :* :* :* Nikki

I for one, do not envy our hard working and dedicated moderators. They must sometimes feel as if they are trying to herd cats, or nail jelly to the wall...so difficult. In a group as diverse as ours, our only common ground being this wretched disease, opinions and personalities differ greatly. There has been discussion and difference of opinion on a number of matters, one of which is language. There are a number of us who are not averse to using very ripe language as a stress reducing tool, it is part of our normal vernacular. However, there are some, of a more delicate nature who are deeply offended by this. Balance has to be achieved. There are some who feel that more or less support in the way of separate groups for different demographics should be catered for...but where does it end? A group for younger folks (how about one for the oldies), those who feel there should be one for the childless, as they feel unincluded. One for Christians...how about the Muslims, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Agnostics etc... There has been discussion about costs of tests, treatments and drugs...who gets what at what price. Some rather iffy comments there too. Sometimes a person can get very enthusiastic and keen to share on something in particular, but it can come across as being somewhat zealous, and this can offend. I have, over the years, been doorknocked by groups of very nice, very zealous groups of people of a particular religious persuasion. They are deeply sure that if I would only read what they have to offer, I will gain Eternal Life. They are convinced that they are right and that my ignorance will be a death sentence to me. I make my choice and they make theirs. I feel as a group, we are all probably more informed than Joe Public on various matters relating to breast cancer and all it entails. We can indeed all read, and are (for good and bad), fully able to access all sorts of information via google. I found this group by googling "support groups online...breast cancer..Australia". So, one score in the positive for the Big G. Others have conferred with Dr Google to their detriment. They have looked up side effects of every drug recommended to them by their oncologists, to then go on and cherry pick what they will and won't have. Some have declined treatment and have chosen to eat kale and hop on the treadmill (so to speak). Some are happy with their decision, others have regretted it. There is no 100% right for everybody and no 100% wrong. We are all intelligent beings, and we each have to find our own path through this nightmare. We should feel free to express our individual opinions, but sometimes it's not what is said, but how it is done. and the old adage of "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" can apply. Thank goodness we are all so very different...it makes for a diverse and dynamic group.

Now this is what the Forum in all the time I've been here is about, @tonyaM @Deanne @Romla @Molly001 @Afraser @primek @Zoffiel @iserbrown and everyone else who have added in a very loving way here. I couldnt have said it better the way Marg @Zoffiel just posted and I completely reiterate this...for me I hate seeing people killing themselves believing IF they had just exercised more, ate differently or did things differently they wouldnt be on this bus. The truth is none of that is true...I also get for many it is a sense of control so doing all those things that THEY say to prevent makes them feel much more in control. Experience and not just my own has taught me that its just not true. My point was and still is just do the things that matter to you. All studies are just that minority, thats why there are sooo many things we can't have? or contribute lol. Hmmm Green Tea whoa!!!! I have drank that all my life, so I shouldnt have gotten it once let alone twice??I do share the thoughts of @zoffiel very much, I eat so well and on the days when my compromised body from chemo and meds allows me I will ride my exercise bike or go for a walk. I walk 10,000 everyday in my job. So for a treat last night I had icecream and chocolate woo hoo hahaha!!! because I deserved it and enjoyed it and its about living. Exercise is mandatory in this life for well being period...nothing to do with BC and Professionals will tell you that. Ladies I love a good recipe and have done a heap of things spent with my exercise physiologist for over a year. Ive done it all and Im in a great place....am I naive to think I wont fall 3rd time...hell no...Live the good life, it comes back to self....nurturing and loving who you are however that looks to you. Anyone who knows me here knows my comments come from a heartfelt and honest place. Ive spent many nights offering a kind word to help others through what is an extremely difficult journey...all because I know what those moments feel like. Much love everyone! Melinda xo@Molly001 I just wanted to say, you are an absolute love!! biggest of hugs to you sweet..I hope you are doing OK!

It has been very interesting reading everyone's posts.There is so much care for others displayed even though most of us are strangers to each other.My husband asked me to mention Kerryn McCann, the dual Commonwealth Games marathon runner who died from breast cancer nearly 10 years ago aged 41. How much more exercise could a person do? How much fitter could you be?

Diet, exercise, lifestyle to decrease the risk of BC recurrence

109 Replies

Marianne_BCNA
Member
8 years ago
HI everyone,
This has become a very long discussion with lots of different threads. Whilst there has been some very interesting debate on the place of exercise in reducing risk, I think it is best if we close this discussion and anyone interested can commence new discussions on topics such as diet or exercise tips. This way, those of you no longer interested in the discussion will not receive anymore notification emails and those interested in continuing sharing ideas about diet and exercise can do so in new threads that focus specifically on these topics.
Wildplaces
Member
8 years ago
Great idea - thank you - and good point - we are all at different points in our treatment and recovery.
iserbrown
Member
8 years ago
Not everyone is into sharing details of what they do or don't do. There are some that are restricted and the last thing I want to see that we have forum users feeling inadequate because they can't participate and drop off. Hence if it's something you want to share perhaps a separate group like the walking challenge group.
iserbrown
Member
8 years ago
http://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/12-bcna-walking-challenge

Perhaps some would benefit from joining the above group
Wildplaces
Member
8 years ago
Mel,

I have read what you said a few times.

Please do not go. Out of all of us you are the one who has most experience with an exercise physiologist.
I asked Giovanna but I think the Mods hesitated timing wise so I will ask you - openly - would you consider running a thread along the lines " Lets post our daily exercises ". I don't post nearly enough on this thread and I am clearly not known for my support or diplomatic skills - but I think it might be a great place for us to bring our daily efforts without any comment/thought about prevention or ...
Just what it takes to get up and walk around the block some day. So we just write down - well, ahhh I would write down how I can not stretch to save my life, I can walk, but no stretch...
(Giovanna can vouch that I did suggest this to her a couple of weeks ago but let it drop on time.)

So Mel ( and maybe Iserbrown if ....willing to help ???) would you both accept my apology for not listening to you well enough and if you both believe it's potentially worthwhile consider it - if a discussion like that already exist on this site - again mea culpa. Or if you can find a more catchy tittle go for it!!

well it's only post and only one thought.
melclarity
Member
8 years ago
@Giovanna_Bcna please also delete me from this thread. Really disappointed, there's no mutual respect for opinions only judgments. And still people are missing the point...ive never once said anything against exercise! Clearly nobody has bothered to read what ive said. Unbelievably ridiculous.
Wildplaces
Member
8 years ago
Nikki - I am sorry.
I started this... I never imagined it would flow this way.
Way back - I really wanted to talk about food, hence my first word Diet... - and specifically about the things you as a collective do to eat for both health AND pleasure - when I asked for recipes I meant it.
There is a similar thread on another site where the ladies even post their fav salad or quick meal that helps them stay on target etc...it's a bit of fun and support.

Da bomb on exercise came out of nowhere, and to be honest I quite taken back. I am two years down so I have some distance but there is a part of me that - would like to stay healthier ( I worked hard and thought I was unbreakable, never did it occur to me I could get sick) and to find the motivation (I know feeling well should be plenty) to keep working towards that goal. What is my goal? Feeling as well as I can for as long as I can - and maybe if that is long enough, it will be almost enough for me to forget, even for a while, that I once had/have cancer.

I hope that at least some of this makes sense to you.
Romla
Member
8 years ago
Thanks for the paper @Wildplaces
primek
Member
8 years ago
I know for myself...even though I was very fit pre chemo and ate well mostly...since diagnosis my biggest aim is to increase my exercise again. I have struggled following recovery of chemo but I'm not giving up. It's the single thing both my oncologist and breast care nurse has stresssed as important for recurrence reduction (no guarantees of course ) risk as well as keeping weight down. This discussion has been fabulous as it has inspired me to keep pushing on. I've added in body pump and swimming into my week as well as aquafit and a weights workout on weekends. So far so good with no crash and sticking to my rules set by my exercise physiologist of working 5-6/10 not 8-9/10. If all going well in 2 months I'll add in more.
nikkid
Member
8 years ago
@Giovanna_BCNA can you please delete me from this discussion? It’s totally doing my head in (wish we had a ‘leave discussion’ button). Thx heaps x