Motivation

Kari, I've been doing yoga on DVD and on our cable channel, and pilates from the cable channel.  Have found workouts doing that that I like enough I may order them.

Hi to all--I will be back when I have a little more energy. I have been a crazy cooter the last three mornings--up by 5:45 am and working out from about 5:55 to 6:30. I still can't believe I am doing that because I have never been a morning person. I do feel better about my upcoming day when I start out with a workout so I will try to do that most days, if possible.

I received a gentle yoga dvd for Christmas. It's from Natural Journeys, and it is "Complete Lilias! Yoga Fitness for Beginners." (It was ordered through Amazon.) Run time is 180 minutes. The first dvd is Yoga 101 Workout for Beginners targeting first arms and abs, then a second routine for legs and buns. The second dvd is the Yoga Workout Series Cardio Challenge, then my fave, "Serenity Now," a wonderfully relaxing gentle yoga workout. I have not done the cardio challenge yet. The serenity one I can easily manage, with adapting only one pose. Those workouts on the first dvd require me to do a lot of adaptation; trust me, my knees are really bad. I think most people would benefit from this dvd, if a beginner and motivated to learn yoga. Take care and move!

Joy

I'm bad... didn't exercise today... it's been raining all day, and then got colder this afternoon...

figures...

Harley

Oops! Posted that before reading the last page....so Val--happy birthday too! And Ainm, happy one year anniversary--which sounds weird as it wasn't a happy day but you've come so far in a year so that is something to be proud of... 

I have not been good this week. The weather, specifically walking the dog in the rainy weather has made me lazy in doing much else--even with the elliptical in the house!! I also need to get to yoga...tomorrow is another day!

I did make a healthy dinner tonight--orange roughy (white fish) in a tomato prune sauce (sounds weird but was good--Martha Stewart), stewed lentils and a saute of small potatoes and brussel sprouts. Kari your pasta sounded great--I'll have to look that up.

Sleep well ladies!

Oh my goodness, so many postings! 

I have been walkint my 30+min 2miles a day (many days in the mall, it is freezing and raining!!! what happened to our GREAT NC weather???) and gentle yoga. 7.5 weeks post my last surgery, three weeks back at work completed. Life is starting to almost get that "normal" feel again. 

PK and Val: Yes, I do at home and I have a CD (actually on my ipod hooked into a micro speaker that I love, so no ear buds!) of my own Yoga teacher going through a gentle routine. The full thing goes a bit over an hour, but often I just do the first half hour (after work, etc). That is the most luxurious and relaxing part! Starting on your back, then moving to all fours, then a few standing things. This is good for me since I know her style and what she is saying to do. It is just audio, no visual, so may be hard for those who are not in her class to follow everything, not sure.  I wish we could try this out on one of you! 

On another thread, somebody posted this, below, and I don't know if it is good or not. But maybe if you look around in there you might find something?

http://web.mac.com/sadienardini/Site/Free_Yoga.html   There is a link to You-Tube. 

Really look for Gentle. This lady is like a NYC yoga guru and may be hard core, I am not sure. At least it is a good set of resources to check out. If you find something, let everyone else know! 

I just find laying on my Yoga Mats on the floor, and bringing my knees to chest feels so good at the end of the day. Just try laying on the floor. Do one knee, put the other leg out straight. Switch. Bring both knees to chest. Rock your head side to side. (like you were saying "no"). These little things can be so restorative!  Then all fours, do you know Cat/Cow and Cat wave? Those are great too. Pose of a child! I love that! I really believe these de-stress and restore some serenity. Today I did 30 minutes over lunch as we're walking the mall again after work tonight. 

Does this help at all??

Love love love, Spring. 

Today I had to take my own advice and just get in 10 min.  I'm beat, work has whipped me to a pulp this week.  Got in the 10 this morning, but this weekend will be better!

Spring ~ I will check out that site when I get the chance. Thanks for your suggestions on what you do. I printed it off so I can refer to it. Thanks again!

Busy day today, so finally off to bed.

night,

hugs

Lottie, welcome and stay with us.  This thread has kept me going over the last several months after I finished TC.  Everyone is different.  I'm several months out and still have severe myopathy and neuropathy.  Others do much better faster.  Hard to know how you'll feel in a bit, but, give yourself a break, 3 weeks is ridiculously early on.  The worst advice I got was from someone who told me they felt better after TC as soon as it would have been time for the next round.  Took my Onc months to beat it into my head that we have to be patient and let our bodies heal.   Sounds like you get a bit of walking in every day.  Have you tried yoga?  Some of us here like it, some don't, but I have to tell you I found it to be the only thing to help with the muscle aches and pains from taxotere.  (Acupuncture helping too).  Make sure you're sleeping well, and if not get some help for it. It will make a big difference.

Most of all hang in there and hang with us it will get better, it really will. 

Welcome Lottie, sorry to be the bearer of sad news but I was told this "crap" stays with us for at least a year after tx. I stay tired but it is getting better. I'm 10 months out rads. Just try any form of exercise you can handle and diet. You will find things you should and shouldn't be doing and everyone here will cheer you on. We are all in this together and in different stages. Stick with us.

sunny today. of course back to work. Treadmill on thurs/fri and walked the dog twice each day and arm exercises. Have a great weekend.

Greetings, Lottie and all others who check in here----Lottie, I am glad you decided to add your voice to this thread. I joined after I finished T/C, feeling weak and exhausted. I had experienced significant side effects from T/C and wondered how I was going to rebuild my endurance, strength, and zest for life. I could not believe how much I had declined, and I really felt overwhelmed. I have found so much encouragement here, as well as specific strategies for improving my well-being, and this has helped me not only to find motivation to workout most days but also to find my own pace in recovery. I think that last bit--finding the pace that is right for each of us--is often the hard part because we are led to think by others who should know better, those who don't have a clue, and even ourselves that we can "bounce back" with just the right amount of determination.

My last chemo was in May, I had some "follow up surgery" in July, then I started Tamoxifen in August. At first I had difficulty walking one to two tenths of a mile, and I often felt very tired after just a small bit of exercise, rather than energized. I slowly began to add other kinds of movement into my workout plan, like classical stretch and bone loading. I tend to workout about 30 minutes Monday through Friday mornings, with some days when I add some gentle yoga or stretching after I have completed my workday. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I now work out for 1 hour but I have only been doing that in the new year (although I had been doing 30 minutes those days for quite some time). I have found that the workouts help me physically, mentally and emotionally. My improvement has helped me to cope better with my ongoing (albeit decreased) fatigue and other effects of treatment, like recurrent flu-like symptoms, vision problems, GI distress, etc. I hope you will have patience with yourself and feel supported by so many of us who have experienced challenges similar to yours!

And to all my other partners in healing, I managed to get up every single morning last week at 5:45 am to workout, then I did my bone loading routine this morning for an hour. I am approaching my first cancerversary (after the third ca diagnosis!) this next week, and I am feeling grateful for all the ways in which I survived last year's challenges as well as motivated to continue working toward wellness. I thank each of you for sending wonderful words of wisdom and support to me; those words and that energy have made a positive difference in my life.

And, by the way, since we have been talking about shoes lately: I bought some of the new wave shoes by Clark. They come with a 30 day trial period and a guarantee of return if dissatisfied. I got the brown lace ups (cuter than it sounds) so that I can wear them to work. I wore them all over the store and was really surprised by now "natural" they felt as I walked. I also got some asics for serious walking, which I hope to be doing when the weather is more cooperative. I hope you all are moving well and enjoying your weekend!

Lottie, One other thing I wanted to add.  I found that it wasn't so much how "much" exercise I got in at first, it was learning to carve out that time to care and nurture myself every day.  At first you'll move slow, and maybe with the walking you get in getting back and forth to work what you'll want to do is take an hour to put on relaxing music, do gentle yoga, stretch, do a little upper body weight with soup cans or small weights.  A year from now you'll be doing stretching and a little strength and aerobics.  But for now, learn to carve out that time for exercise and use it to relax and take care of yourself.  It will become a habit that you can't live without.  Probably more important than the actual exercise you get in right now. At least that was my experience after the TC and in getting back to work.

One thing I wanted to mention to all.  My Onc asked how much upper body strength training I was getting.  Said we always talk about weight bearing exercises for bone strength but sometimes people forget that running/walking/eliptical etc are good for hips and lower back, but you need to be getting upper body weight bearing in to keep up the bone density of your neck and upper back.  I have been weight lifting too, but it was a good reminder to me to keep track and make sure I was doing enough. 

Wish I had a 6-pack

Hi ladies and welcome Lottie!!

I haven't checked in since last week!!  Busy busy!!  Thanks for all the yoga info, its wonderful to know what others are doing.  Geez last week didn't work out 3 of the days at all. 

I did chemo/rads too and boy it kicked my butt as well.  Go easy and set little goals for yourself.  The stretching and yoga like exercise is wonderful to do!  And I received advice from some of the men at work, one guy's wife having just gone thru chemo/rads.  They said walk for 1 minute (treadmill at first so you don't get stuck somewhere)...and add a minute every few days or week.  And believe me, it was hard!  I remember 3 min were really hard.  Chemo left me so weak and my legs feeling like they couldn't hold me up.  But time does help.  Don't push yourself too hard.  Sometimes now even I have GREAT days and bad days.  Yesterday I pushed a bit much and felt really awful all day, so please don't overdo it!!

I posted this on another site, but I love you gals, so I wanted to share with you (Allie, you've seen this already),

So I wanted to share some good news. I attended our company's Kickoff meeting,
which is held annually in the Bay Area. On Thursday, our Sacramento/Roseville
office took a bus to Berkeley (over the Bay Bridge from San Francisco) where all
of our Northern California offices gathered for the annual awards ceremony
complete with cocktail party and buffet afterwards.

WELL...I won the Employee of the Year!!!!!!! I was so shocked! Our CEO was up
there talking and saying all these great things about me...I started with the
company in 1995 (year I moved back from North Carolina and went through my
divorce trying to survive with my two teenage daughters with no child support!)
and how I worked my way to Office Mgr and then moved to Sacramento & now the
Roseville office, and my smile is infectious and I have great attention to
detail and then...he talked about my health journey (which surprised me, but it
was ok...I had told a few people outside of our Sac/RV office) and that I missed
minimal work throughout surgery, treatment,etc. and my motto is "let's
dance"...so I went up there, hugged him, took the award and envelope ($500
travel certificate) and then he handed me the mike...My heart was racing, there
were hundreds of people staring at me. I said I had the privilege of working in
3 offices and getting to know so many wonderful people that have made a
difference in my life and I've not forgotten anyone and that I am just so happy
these days, my hair is back and then I held up the award and yelled "SCREW
CANCER" and everyone cheered ! It was awesome and liberating!! Of course
later as people got drunk at the reception/buffet, peole were coming up to me
saying they loved it when I yelled F*CK CANCER...lol

kari

Kari, brought tears to my eyes.  Good for you.  So well deserved

Thanks girlies!  I said that for ALL OF US on that stage!!! 

now Harley, get on the torture machine!  haha

I forced myself to do the same...treadmill (could only do 25 min), graduated to 3 lb weights and did some arm work, abs and then danced for a bit to a fun song, then cleaned.  The cleaning part my back didn't like...darn it!  just threw some whole wheat banana muffins in the oven, my fav!!