Happy Memorial Weekend from Life-Cise

Here in the US, we're in the middle of Memorial Weekend - important for three things. Most of us think first of barbecues! In backyards and parks all over the country families and friends are getting together (assuming the weather cooperates) for barbecues. Enjoy!

But the real reason for the long weekend is somber. It's a remembrance of our service men & women who have lost their lives in conflicts past and present. Be sure to take a moment in all the fun to remember those who have given their lives.

And it's also the beginning of the summer season. OK, it's not officially summer, but in many people's minds this weekend kicks it off. (We at Life-Cise are grilling, gardening and hiking this weekend)

For people currently in cancer treatment or recovering, this is a good time to talk about getting/staying active. It can be frustrating to be heading into a typically more active season if you're weakened from illness and treatment. What you could do before cancer is not as important as what you can do now. Thinking about what was is not so useful as thinking about what is right now and what can be. Try (as much as possible) to just be grateful for what you CAN do.

So find activities that you enjoy and do them. Walk, garden, bike, clean your house (if that's what you're into) - just be active!

If you're just beginning an exercise program - GOOD FOR YOU! You're much more likely to stick with it if you choose activities you like. Don't just get on the eliptical machine because other people do it or some trainer told you to. Get on the eliptical if you like it; lots of folks like it because they can read or watch TV. But if you hate it, find something you do like. Exercise should be something fun, something to enjoy - not a punishment.

Begin at an appropriate, moderate level. Remember, what is moderate for someone else may not be the right level for you. On a scale of 1 - 10; 1 being almost no effort, 10 being maximum - you're about to drop - effort, try to work at around 5 or 6. If you are really deconditioned, start out at 3 or 4. You should feel like you're expending some effort, but not ready to pass out - you're heart should be pumping a little harder, you should be breathing harder - but you should still be able to speak. If you can sing all the lyrics to your favorite song, you can step it up a bit - remember, you should feel like you're expending some effort. However, if you can't respond to a question with more than 1 word, drop back some. You get the idea - find your appropriate level.

Ideally, you should get 30 minutes of exercise 5 or more days per week. But you may not be able to start there. If you can only do a few minutes of moderate activity at a time, that's OK. This is only you're starting point. Try doing a few minutes several times during the day.

As you get stronger and want to improve, begin building slowly. Especially if you're at a higher risk for lymphedema or recovering from treatment, it's very important to increase your workout gradually. You can increase intensity (how fast or how hard), or frequency (how often), or duration (length of time) of the workout. Just don't increase all things at once! Only increase one at a time. Think about making increases of around 10% at a time. If you're walking 10 minutes, increase by 10% - that's just one minute more.

So, here's to a beautiful, healthy, and active summer season. Enjoy the weekend.

Julie