All MFN blog Archives - Page 92 of 140

Nutrition for Cancer

Kristy Richardson/7 March 2018/ All MFN blog/

Prepare for Treatment

Did you know that by adjusting your nutrition you can feel better and stay stronger during cancer treatment? Both the cancer and the cancer treatment can affect your appetite, your ability to tolerate foods, and your body’s ability to utilize nutrients. By having a dietitian or nutritionist on your treatment team, you’ll be better prepared to cope with side effects and meet your nutrition needs during this difficult time.

Weight Management

Some cancer treatments can lead to weight loss while others can lead to weight gain. Weight loss may be due to a loss of appetite and/or an inability to tolerate food, while weight gain may be related to fluid retention, increased appetite and/or decreased physical activity. If cancer treatment is making it difficult for you to manage your weight, ask an dietitian or nutritionist to join your treatment team. You won’t regret it!

Complementary and Alternative Treatments

Many herbs and other supplements are marketed to people who are going through cancer treatment. Always talk to your oncologist before adding any herbs or supplements to your treatment regimen. Some herbs and supplements can cause harmful side effects and interfere with proven cancer treatments such as chemo and radiation.

For a detailed description of herbs and supplements and any evidence supporting their effectiveness and safety, visit nccam.nih.gov/health/atoz.htm. Your oncologist and a dietitian/nutritionist can help you sort through this information and make an informed decision about whether or not take any herbs or other supplements.

Kristy Richardson is a dietitian and exercise physiologist, specializing in sports nutrition and weight management, She is the founder of OC Nutrition and also works as a nutrition professor at Fullerton College.

References

American Cancer Society (2012). Nutrition for the Person with Cancer During Treatment: A Guide for Patients and Families. Retrieved November 4, 2013, http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002903-pdf.pdf.

Exercise & Pregnancy

Maurice D. Williams, MS/7 March 2018/ All MFN blog/

Beautiful pregnant woman gym fitness exercise The understandable fear (due to things like decreased oxygen supply to the baby) that existed with pregnancy & exercise years ago is no longer warranted. Because of substantial research, it is now safe for women to continue or start exercising while pregnant. As long as she gets approval from her doctor & seeks out a qualified and certified fitness professional, she should be confident in knowing that the recommendations below will help her.

Considerations & Exercise Suggestions

1. Posture Change from the Growth of the Baby: As a result of the baby growing in the wound, the mother to be’s posture will change. This causes certain muscles to become weak, particularly her core. In the 1st and 2nd trimester, a mother to be should focus on strengthening her core through exercises such as planks, bridges, and birddogs. Once the 3rd trimester hits, it would be wise for the mother to be to avoid supine or prone core exercises. She can still work her core by doing standing exercises such as medicine ball chops, reverse chops & rotations. All of these exercises can be performed 2-3 days/week, 1-2 sets of 12-15 reps with appropriate rest time (45-90 seconds) between sets.

2. Cardiovascular Exercise: With the growth of the fetus, also comes more stress to the mother to be’s heart and lungs. As a result, her ability to work harder and longer is decreased. However, a mother to be can still perform low impact or step aerobics that do not involve jarring motions. Walking on the treadmill, stationary cycling and water aerobics done 3-5 days/week for 15-30 minutes is suggested.

3. Flexibility Exercise: Because the mother to be’s body posture has changed, this may cause certain muscles to overwork or become tight. As a result, she may feel the need to stretch certain muscles. This is ok to do so. Static and active stretches are advised along with foam rolling that can be tolerated. However, foam rolling on varicose veins or swollen muscles should not be done. I would advise stretching muscles that appear to be overworking such as her calves and lower back. This can be done everyday for 1-2 sets, holding each stretch for 30-60 seconds.

Pregnant woman holding dumbbells 4. Weight Training Exercise: Circuiting training has shown to be very effective for mother’s to be throughout their entire pregnancy. These include exercises that work the entire body and can be performed back to back with little rest in between. I recommend exercises that work the following muscles: legs, chest, back, shoulders and arms. They can be done 2-3 days/week, 1-2 sets of 12-15 reps. The rest period can be in between 45-75 seconds.

5. Cautions: Mothers to be should stop or avoid exercises that cause nausea, dizziness, stomach pain, prolonged shortness of breath, bleeding and fainting.

Conclusion

By taking the appropriate precautions, mothers to be can safely exercise during pregnancy. As a result, the pregnancy can be smoother and the recovery can be quicker.

Helpful links for exercises

http://blog.nasm.org/fitness/exercise-pregnancy-physiological-changes-exercise-programming/
http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/weight-training-pregnancy

Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD.

Source
Clark, Sutton, Lucett. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training, 4th Ed. Revised. 2014

Footnotes: Your Amazing Feet and How to Keep Them Healthy

Nicholas A. DiNubile, MD/2 March 2018/ All MFN blog/

It’s pretty amazing that we all don’t suffer with achy feet. Leonardo Da Vinci, artist and engineer, said that “the human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”. According to The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, each foot has approximately 100 working parts including 26 bones and 33 joints. Twenty-five percent of all the bones in your skeleton reside in your feet, and they work hard. One mile of walking places over 60 tons of stress on each foot. The average person walks approximately 1000 miles per year. Serious runners often log 30 miles per week pounding their feet with forces 3 to 5 times body weight, absorbing 110 tons per foot, for each mile they run. It’s no wonder that 20% of all musculoskeletal related office visits involve the foot and ankle area. Foot problems cost the U.S. approximately 3.5 billion dollars a year. Perhaps Leonardo should have also warned us that artistic and durable do not often go together.

Interestingly, it’s not just the pounding that gets your feet into trouble — it’s often the shoes. Hard to believe but a significant number of individuals are wearing the wrong size shoes. This is in part because most of us do not realize that your shoe size actually changes as an adult. Even though the bones in your feet stop growing in your teens, your feet still expand with age. Your arch drops, leading to a lengthening of your foot and the ligaments weaken resulting in widening or “splaying” especially in the forefoot area. The overall result is a longer, wider foot and the need for shoes or sneakers one or two sizes bigger and with a wider toe box area. Women are particularly susceptible, and I’m not just talking about Sex and the City’s Carrie and her infamous Manolo’s. Most of their lives, they have jammed their poor feet into tight narrow high heeled shoes, almost the modern versions of foot “binding” popularized in China where women’s’ feet were tightly wrapped to keep their feet small and aesthetically pleasing. It’s no wonder that over 70% of women complain of foot pain. One study found that women stopped on the street were much more likely to be in a shoe too tight, than their correct size. This leads to many painful foot conditions like bunions, corns, calluses, neuromas (pinched nerve) and more. I recall a sweet older patient who came into my office and when asked how I could help her, she took off her shoes, pointed to her feet and said “these dogs are barkin”. Of course her shoes were two sizes too small.

Fashion is part of the problem, especially with kids who will often sacrifice proper fit to get a pair that is cool. Also, with the rapid growth spurts, even a shoe that fits well one month may not the next. Parents need to check often. Also, for both kids and especially adult shoewear, cost does not always equate with comfort.

Marketing drives much of what kids and adults want in terms of shoewear. Nike still wants you to be like Mike (Air Jordans started in 1985 and still going srtong!). And in a 1993 basketball sneaker commercial, Charles Barkley was perhaps the most honest when he said “These are my new shoes. They’re good shoes. They won’t make you rich like me, they definitely won’t make you handsome like me. They’ll only make you have shoes like me. That’s it.”

The influence starts quite early. I remember when my daughter’s Barbie Doll had such high fashion (i.e. high heeled, too tight) shoes that I hoped for her sake that Ken was studying to be a podiatrist.

So how do you keep your feet happy and healthy?

Learn to listen to them. If they are “barkin”, first be sure you are in the right footwear. Also, follow these tips:

Get both feet measured every time you buy shoes.
Shop at the end of the day when your feet tend to be their largest (swelling etc).
Be sure there’s plenty of room in the toe box area. Toes should wiggle freely not feel pressured or cramped. There should also be a thumb’s width space between the tip of the toes (especially the longest one) and the end of the shoe.
Ladies, try tracing your foot on a piece of paper. Next, place one of your “high fashion” shoes over the tracing. It should be pretty clear why your feet hurt.
Never think that you can “break-in” a shoe. The shoe always wins that battle.
Always wear the correct footwear designed for your specific sport or activity. All sneaks are not created equal!
A good shoemaker can help with minor pressure or hot spots, or a heel area that’s too loose. Remember, I said minor not major adjustments.
For more tips, check www.orthoinfo.org and click on the foot icon on the skeleton.

If symptoms persist, see an orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist who can help you better understand and resolve your foot problem and also assure that there is not other medical issues going on since systemic conditions (like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis) can begin with foot related issues. Also, foot pain can be referred from other areas like a pinched nerve in your lower back. Get things checked!

Over the years many have philosophized about the foot. I suspect that it started with their own achy feet. A classic orthopedic surgery textbook about the foot (by Melvin Jahss) notes that “the foot is often neglected unless it is your own; it then becomes the pedestal on which the rest of you stands”. My mother even had a view – “You can’t cheat your feet.” Abraham Lincoln suggested that “a man only needs to be so tall that his feet reach the ground”. Along that line, Oprah Winfrey remarked, “I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes”. Hopefully they’re the right size.

So, be kind to your feet-use them, but don’t abuse them. It’s hard to keep a smile when your feet are frowning.

Originally published on the Huffington Post. Reprinted with permission from Dr. DiNubile.

Nicholas DiNubile, MD is an Orthopedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine Doc, Team Physician & Best Selling Author. He is dedicated to keeping you healthy in body, mind & spirit. Follow him MD on Twitter: twitter.com/drnickUSA

How To Gain Weight Healthfully

Nancy Clark, RD/1 March 2018/ All MFN blog/

“No matter what I eat, I can’t seem to gain weight…”

“What about those weight gain powders … do they work?”

“How much more protein should I eat to help me bulk up?”

Although two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, a handful of skinny people—including many athletes—feel very frustrated by their seeming inability to gain weight. Their struggle to bulk up is on par with that of over-fat folks who work hard to lose weight. Add in rigorous training for a marathon, soccer team, or other sport, and scrawny athletes can feel at a disadvantage, fearing that no matter how much they eat, they’ll get even skinnier.

Clearly, genetics plays a powerful role in why some athletes have so much trouble not only gaining weight, but also maintaining any weight they manage to add. “Hard gainers” tend to be fidgety. They rarely sit, to say nothing of sit still. They are constantly puttering around, or when sitting, they are tapping their fingers, swinging their legs, twirling their hair, and shifting around in the chair. All of these activities burn calories that commonly end up in the midriff of calmer people who can sit motionless for hours.

If you are a hard gainer, you might have been told that consuming an extra 500 to 1,000 calories per day will lead to gaining 1 to 2 pounds per week. Unfortunately, Nature often confounds this mathematical approach. For example, in a weight gain study where the subjects were overfed by 1,000 calories per day for 100 days, some subjects gained only 9 pounds, whereas others gained 29 pounds (1).

How could that be? The answer likely relates to Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (N.E.A.T.), the technical term for spontaneous movements that naturally occur in fidgety people. When you overfeed a fidgety person, they can become even more active, as if Nature wants them to burn off those calories.

Seven Tips to Gain Weight Healthfully

Fret not; even very lean people can gain some weight when they systematically enhance their diet. Although they cannot change their genetics and their tendency to fidget, they can boost their calorie intake. If you are a scrawny athlete, have a teenage eating-machine who wants to weigh more, or are trying to bulk up for football, here are some tips to help you gain weight healthfully.

1. Eat consistently. Do NOT skip meals; doing so means you’ll miss out on important calories needed to reach your goal. Every day, enjoy a breakfast, an early lunch, a later lunch, dinner, and a bedtime meal. This might mean breakfast at 7:00, lunch at 11:00, second lunch at 3:00, dinner at 7:00, and a protein-rich bedtime snack at 10:00.

2. Eat larger than normal portions. Instead of having one sandwich for lunch, have two. Enjoy a taller glass of milk, bigger bowl of cereal, and larger piece of fruit.

3. Select higher calorie foods. Read food labels to discover which wholesome foods offer more calories. For example, cranapple juice has more calories than orange juice (170 vs. 110 calories per 8 ounces); granola has more calories than Cheerios (500 vs. 100 calories per cup); corn more calories than green beans (140 vs. 40 calories per cup).

4. Drink lots of 100% fruit juice and low-fat (chocolate) milk. Instead of quenching your thirst with water, choose calorie-containing fluids. By having milk with each meal, you can easily add 300 to 600 wholesome calories a day. One high school soccer player gained 13 pounds over the summer by simply quenching his thirst with six glasses of cranapple juice instead of water (1,000 vs. 0 calories). He consumed the fluid he needed (juice is 98% water) and bonus of more carbohydrates to refuel his depleted muscles, plus a good dose of vitamin C to enhance healing.

5. Enjoy peanut butter, nuts, avocado, and olive oil. These foods are high in (health-promoting) fats. They’re a positive addition to your sports diet; they help knock down inflammation. Their high fat content means they’re calorie-dense. To boost good fats, add almonds to cereal & salads, spread extra peanut butter on the PB&J sandwich, dive into the guacamole with baked chips, and add extra olive oil dressing to your salads. That’s an easy extra 500+ calories/day.

6. Do strengthening exercise as well as some cardio. Weight lifting and push-ups stimulate muscle growth so that you bulk-up instead of fatten up. Plus, exercise stimulates your appetite and, sooner or later, you’ll want to eat more. Exercise also increases thirst, so you will want to drink extra juices and caloric fluids.

Take note: You will not build bigger muscles by eating extra protein. While you want to target a protein-rich food with 20-30 grams protein at each meal (and 10-15/snack), having more will not build bigger muscles. Resistance exercise builds muscles. To have the energy to do the muscle-building training, you need extra carbs. That’s where drinking more 100% fruit juice and chocolate milk offer benefits; you’ll be better-fueled & better able to lift heavier weights.

7. Don’t bother to buy expensive weight gain drinks. A hefty PB&J with a tall glass of chocolate milk adds about 1,000 calories for about $2.00. You would spend at least $10 get-ting those calories from Muscle Milk.

Conclusion: By following these tips, you should see progress, but honor your genetics. Most people do gain weight with age as they become less active, more mellow, and have more time to eat. Granted, that information doesn’t help you today, but it offers optimism (or a warning) for your future physique!

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her best selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for marathoners, cyclists and soccer players offer additional information. They are available at www.NancyClarkRD.com. For her popular online workshop, see www.NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com

References:

1) Bouchard, C. 1990. Heredity and the path to overweight and obesity. Med Sci Sports Exerc 23(3):285-291.

Member Spotlight: Ann-Marie Everitt, Yoga for Arthritis Trained Professional in NYC

MFN/27 February 2018/ All MFN blog/

Ann-Marie offers the tools of yoga – Mind, body, breath – to bring people a holistic and fulfilling experience of themselves. No matter our age, shape or condition yoga shifts our attention to our power,

personal trainer showing stopwatch time to senior client

The Space Between Fitness and Medicine: Where “the Good You Do For Others” Brings the Reward you Deserve | Part 1

Phil Kaplan/26 February 2018/ All MFN blog/

This is part one in a three-part series.

In every field you find the big earners and those who are “paying the bills.” In every field you find excellence and mediocrity. In every field you find those who fully engage and those who invest just enough to play in the arena.

Here’s one of the many challenges that keeps the personal training field in its own aura of uniqueness. The delivery of extreme value isn’t always met with what we might consider just reward. In other words, an investment of attention, energy, discipline, and devout practice ensures nothing more than a fair attempt at turning human interaction into revenue.

I think its time to change that.

VALUE SHOULD BEGET REWARD

Great surgeons command great remuneration, as do great quarterbacks, great attorneys, and great architects. We can judge them by the effectiveness of their work, by their “wins,” or by their track records.

Do great work. Make great money.

A peripheral glimpse of our field might lead to the perception that the big earners rely more on personality, social skill, and media exposure than expertise, but that’s only a glimpse. Whether it’s an accurate or flawed conclusion, I promise you this. It can be changed.

In this 3-part series, I want to change the way you think. I want to give you control over your future, your position, and… your income, not by sharing marketing tricks bur rather by giving you a willingness to accept an important truth.

You are an entrepreneur.

I know. Some of you gagged, some fought back the vomit reflex, and others considered it might best to stop reading. Entrepreneurs have to have some business expertise, they have to deal with finance, and they have to… ready for this… sell!!!

EEEAAAAUGH!!!!!

I’m not finished turning the screw. I’ll make it, for the moment, even harder to swallow. As an entrepreneur you are FULLY IN CONTROL of the value you deliver, the number of lives you touch, the number of lives you change for the better, and the number of dollars that make up the balance in your bank account. Nobody will do it for you. It’s all on you.

Here’s another truth. Most personal trainers pursue their professional commitments out of two complementary driving forces. They love helping people and they have a passion for fitness. That’s good. It’s both, their greatest strength and their source of vulnerability . . . because “making money” falls somewhere lower on the list than “finding reward in gratitude.”

IF THANK YOU’S WERE DOLLARS, YOU’D BE A MILLIONAIRE

As a trainer you LOVE when a client says thank you. You melt when a client says, “you changed my life,” and you puff up like a blowfish when you read the text that says, “OMG, lost 20, feel great! Thank you.”

This innate deep-rooted altruism allows you to work for less money than you deserve and to justify the financial deficiency with “I’m helping people.”

Let me share another insight. You are wired more like a doctor than you are like the proud and hungry entrepreneur. Doctors are driven by the same altruistic inner calling, at least when they decide to sit for the MCAT’s and pursue intensive study, knowing it’ll be followed by an internship and residency before they even earn their first dollar.

So why do doctors earn what you perceive to be “the big money” while trainers settle for per-session fees? One reason. They’re given permission.

The medical paradigm is polarizingly different than the one you operate under. The medical student doesn’t “set” his future pricing, the paradigm does.

The fees for an MRI, a bypass procedure, lab tests, and cosmetic enhancements are established. The medical student simply steps into the universe where value already exists.

You, whether you emerged your educational prep with a degree or a certification, stepped into a universe where the paradigm is based upon “training sessions,” not upon true delivery of value.

I might not share these perspectives with an audience of trainers at a general fitness conference. I’m sharing them with you because you’ve demonstrated interest in or become connected with the Medical Fitness Network. This demonstrates that you have an interest beyond “training sessions.” At some level, you have interest in helping people rediscover health. There’s value in that. Extreme value.

Let’s do a quick comparison.

Where is there more perceived value? In a training session promising to make someone sweat, contract, stretch, and increase respiration, or in the undoing of a chronic condition?

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF RESTORATION?

We dare not suggest we can cure any disease, but there’s a massive and-ever growing body of evidence demonstrating that shifts in eating and movement can create shifts in biochemistry and physiology moving people away from physical compromise and back toward health.

I’m suggesting that if you become a practitioner delivering human betterment to those who live in compromise, you’re standing on the cusp of establishing a new paradigm. You’re potentially moving into a position where you can claimpower over the impact you have upon your clients and concurrently upon the fees you command and the reward you deserve.

I want you to see yourself as somehow different than “the rest of the field.” Without ego playing a role, consider that you have the ability to elevate, to accept a position of greater responsibility, and with it, greater reward.

In the next two parts of this three-part article, I’ll share what I call “The Three Levels of Profitability” and show you how you immediately leave the income ceiling behind when you stop up to Level 2, but for now I simply want you consider movement. I want you to realize, if you opt to pursue a “specialty,” to offer a solution to a market that is bound by pain, discontent, or limitation, you have a far greater value than a practicing workout expert.

No longer will you be “in the fitness field.” You won’t leave it entirely, and you’ll still carry your fitness passion and wield it as a weapon, but you’ll move into a space that’s the open sea, a space where earnings will escalate for those who master the skill set allowing them to find a new level of comfort in entrepreneurship. We’ll consider it the space between Fitness and Medicine. It’s the space where a massive segment of our population will rediscover their own power to live in health, regardless of their past or present level of compromise. It’s the space where guidance is lacking, the space where ancient wisdom will marry scientific discoveries, the space where you can prosper and thrive.

If you hunger to be in this space, stay connected. This is simply the eye opener. I’m about to share insights that will completely shift your recognition of your own potential. Stay tuned.

This is 3 part series. Read part 2 here, and part 3 here

Phil Kaplan has been a fitness leader and Personal Trainer for over 30 years having traveled the world sharing strategies for human betterment. He has pioneered exercise and eating interventions documented as having consistent and massive impact in battling chronic disease. His dual passion combines helping those who desire betterment and helping health professionals discover their potential. Visit Phil’s website, philkaplan.com; you can email him at phil@philkaplan.com

Meditation for Fibromyalgia

Robyn Kade/21 February 2018/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

Fibromyalgia is a condition where there is muscle pain, fatigue, and tender spots on the body. While there is no cure for this condition meditation may help you to cope with the symptoms. There are many benefits of meditation for Fibromyalgia including: decreased stress, feeling more at ease, decreased blood pressure and heart rate, decreased anxiety, increased energy and pain tolerance.

Mardi Gras Float Celebrates Old Age

Adrienne Ione/14 February 2018/ All MFN blog/

More than 100 years ago, floats began parading along New Orleans’ streets – from the Krewe of Alla to the Krewe of Zulu – as a way to entice business men to establish roots in the city and bring wealth to an area affected by the Civil War. The annual celebration is a carnival full of festivities. Another aim is to bring awareness to social justice issues such as black lives, sexual liberation and female empowerment.

In mere hours, the Krewe de Vieillesse, with a theme of celebrating age pride, can be seen parading along a route from South Clairborne to St. Charles to Chartres – linking Broadmoor, Garden District and Marigny neighborhoods.

Just as the Krewe of Rex names an influential resident involved in multiple civic causes and philanthropic pursuits, so too does the Krewe de Vieillesse honor an older adult whose contributions add vigor and liveliness to the community.

Just imagine if the Krewe de Vieillesse were a real event. How rich would our nation be if were age-friendly? One that honors all members of the community. Where we don’t ask questions such as: “Is aging a disease, or merely a natural occurrence that produces disease-like symptoms?”

Oh goodness. Aging as a disease?

We learn early on in life that diseases and disease like-symptoms are to be feared. By 2050, it is suggested that 16 million Americans will be diagnosed with dementia, a neurodegenerative disease. Put differently, 60-70% of us will not be affected by dementia.

A pervasive, traditional and customary approach to old age raises questions within the context of a medical model. Old age is seen as something that needs to be cured. Fix it.

I wonder if in the United States’ nearly 4 million total square miles, there is space for alternative constructs of old age?

Similar to one view promoted by physicists James Jeans and Sir Arthur Eddington, thinking the universe to be best understood as a great idea, we can think of old age as a great idea.

The process of aging exists to be interacted with. Ideas of old age are incomplete. As we age, we get to inform the structure and meaning of old age. Our identity adds a uniqueness to what it means to be old.

Maybe there is even space within the idea of old age for self-respect to coexist.

In 1961, Joan Didion wrote about self-respect in Vogue. She suggests, “self-respect has nothing to do with the approval of others—who are, after all, deceived easily enough.” Despite living in a nation that barely hears the edges of words spoken by some old people, I hope we can continue formulating other ideas of what it means to be old – for ourselves and others.

Our orientation to the world, one that directly informs our own and others’ identity, could shift away from a diseased medical model and toward a mindfulness-based construct of old age.

If we adopt a mindful approach to aging – one that conceives of the possibility of new categories, a constant recreating or reorganizing of information that defines and interprets our understanding of our worlds, our own and others – perhaps our fears will decrease, and love will increase.

We could be living in harmony with old age. As Thibodaux writer June Shaw said in Nora 102 ½: A Lesson on Aging Well, “her vision decreased, [and] her joie de vivre remained.”

Placing old age within a different frame – one of revelry, rite, and ritual – we might then view 79 to 80 as a rite of passage. There could be specific rituals reserved for people ages 82-84. And there could be grand revelry at 91. With all this pomp and circumstance to tantalize us in our youth, we might even stop living in fear of being old. We might also stop being afraid of people who are old.

Just as flambeaux carriers shined light on the complex creations of original floats during carnival, let us now illuminate older adults in a celebration of inclusion and appreciation. Thank you for adding to our world.

Let your flame burn bright.

Adrienne Ione is a dynamic, mindful, high-fiving, cognitive behavioral therapist, certified dementia specialist and senior personal trainer. Founder of Silver Linings Integrative Health, a company with an aim of promoting health, fitness and wellbeing opportunities for people to thrive across the lifespan.

How To Overcome Stress When Diagnosed With Cancer

Nick Jack/13 February 2018/ All MFN blog/

“CANCER”. For those who are not diagnosed with this condition, just saying the word out loud to yourself highlights many negative connotations associated with it.

Depression. Anxiety. Loneliness. Weakness.

jack-article1 We all consider the undesirable aspects associated with cancer and think to ourselves how lucky we are not to have that added stress in our life. But what about those who are diagnosed with cancer?

Life can already be quite overwhelming when considering the financial strains, family events and various appointments scheduled into each day. But then add cancer into the mix and what do you get? You get a situation that can be very debilitating both physically, socially and emotionally, and can cause an array of adverse behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary behaviour and smoking. There is some evidence to suggest that elevated stress levels heighten the inflammatory response associated with stress hormones which may be directly related to cancer development and growth, however, there is an abundance of research showing an in-direct link between stress and cancer growth due to the adverse behaviours mentioned above. Thus, having the ability to conquer stress, identify the best way for you to deal with stress, and to become resilient to it will positively impact the management of your cancer and the fighting process.

So we know that stress and anxiety are typically elevated in people with cancer, and we know through available research that we need to lower or eliminate these stress levels to stop risky adverse behaviours associated with stress, but how do we go about doing that?

Recently at our training studio we began an exercise program for clients diagnosed with cancer called Lift For Life. Our trainers discussed the idea of stress and anxiety with our cancer clients and what that means to them. During our discussion we identified many situations which cause stress in their lives, both related and not related to cancer. Some of these situations were:

Family
Work
Negative thoughts
Feeling lonely
Feeling as though they have no one to talk to
Cancer Doctor appointments and the negative connotations associated with them
Waiting for results
Feeling as though people are sick of them talking about their cancer
Finances

After identifying what causes heightened stress levels, we brainstormed ideas we could implement to help overcome such stresses:

Joining cancer education groups and classes
Counselling
Communication with family and friends
Joining stress management, meditation or relaxation classes
Download stress relief applications

We recognize that stress factors in to a large degree. In the treatment of this deadly disease, and while we see the need for exercise and nutrition, there must also be a focus on improving the lifestyle habits and the personal ability of the person to be mentally healthy as well. Far too many programs focus on just the physical component or treat the physical symptoms, neglecting the importance of addressing the psychological and emotional needs to assist the body in healing itself. This is why our program is designed around exercise and education. There is an abundance of research illustrating the physical, health and emotional benefits of exercise for those suffering and over-coming cancer. Cancer brings with it atrophy, osteopenia, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and falling. The benefits of exercise and stress reduction can help alleviate many of these ancillary negative conditions associated with cancer. Some of these benefits include:

Regulation of blood flow (reducing your risk of blood clots)
Improved muscular and bone strength/health
Reduced risk of falling
Improvement and maintaining of functional capacity and independence
Reduced risk of secondary cardiovascular diseases and co-morbidities associated with cancer
Improved mental status
Improved quality of life.

After the Lift For Life brainstorming session I had with my cancer clients I was surprised to find that no one had identified what I perceived as being the most important elements in overcoming stress and anxiety. Exercise and rhythmic breathing. Of course once I mentioned this, all clients agreed that these were both extremely important.

It is at this point you may be thinking “yes I know about the importance of exercise and the benefits associated both physically and mentally, but what has breathing got to do with it?”

Why is breathing so important?

When I think of someone being stressed or anxious, I picture someone hyperventilating into a brown paper back and trying to slow down their breathing. Most people who are stressed are stuck in a constant state of over breathing and hyperventilation. Often when people are stressed they are told to “take a deep breath and relax”. This is, however, quite problematic as this action reinforces anxiety and stress symptoms by overstimulating the sympathetic nervous system, and eventually causes habitual over breathing actions. Even when the stress is no longer present, a person will continue to breathe this way as this is how they have taught themselves to breath. Dr James Mercola (of the Game Changer) emphasizes this further when he stated “When you feel tense and anxious, the sympathetic fight-or-flight aspect of your nervous system turns on, quickening your breathing and increasing your heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone production. Uncontrolled, rapid, chest-oriented respiration can actually initiate your sympathetic nervous system — even if no other stress factors are present — locking you into a state of breathing-induced stress”. Hence, learning how to breathe slowly and softly through the nose is critical.

What can I do to start breathing better and help reduce my stress and anxiety?

There are many breathing exercises which can help to reduce stress levels, improve your health and calm your body. A simple breathing exercise which can be done anywhere and has been reported to help reduce stress and anxiety symptoms is as follows:

Inhale through your nose for 5 seconds
Hold for 5 seconds
Exhale through your nose for 5 seconds
Repeat 5 times.
Once completed make sure you continue to breath normally through your nose and not your mouth otherwise you won’t be able to crack this over breathing habit you have taught yourself.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique taught by Dr Andrew Weil is also quite effective in reducing stress levels and regulating your breathing.

Conclusion

We must acknowledge the damage that stress can cause on our health and when we are already in a state of poor health, a little bit more than normal is enough to create more problems. Stress cannot be avoided for it is something we will all encounter at many times in our lives. However, being stuck in an extended state of stress will do serious damage to your body. Learning different strategies and having tools and resources to combat the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety are essential in the prevention and treatment of cancer as well as all kinds of other health problems and diseases.

References:
http://www.mercola.com/
http://www.cdc.gov/
Cancer Council Australia

Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training a Rehabilitation & Sports Training Studio located in Melbourne Australia. Having worked as a Trainer for over 10 years and has qualifications as a CHEK Exercise Coach, CHEK Golf Performance Specialist & Master Rehab Trainer and Twist Conditioning Sports Conditioning coach he specializes in working with rehabilitation and injury prevention programs. You can check out his website at www.noregretspt.com.au