I can’t remember exactly when I got the bright idea that I would work out one minute for every year of life on my birthday. I must have been in my twenties- because let’s face it- how hard is 20 minutes?

Keeping to my promise, I plan on working out 50 minutes tomorrow morning with my sister. Yep the big 5-0 is upon me and I don’t mind one bit.  First, I’m just grateful I’m here to celebrate it at all, and B, (okay bad joke). Secondly with age has come wisdom.

You see there is no rule that says it has to be a killer workout- just 50 minutes of continual movement. The beauty of this is that my mind and body will benefit no matter what. And that is what I want to share with you. It’s okay to change up your intensity, time or distance, in fact it’s highly recommended. The only thing unacceptable is to ever use your age as an excuse.

Before you even contemplate lifting a weight you need to lengthen the muscles that are shortened and tight and strengthen the opposite muscles that are most likely weakened and overstretched.  There are few benefits to trying to get stronger in an area that you have limited range of motion in.  In fact, you could potentially be setting yourself up for a muscle imbalance leading to further problems down the line.

If you are unsure if you have normal range of motion -ask yourself this simple question- do I feel tight or stiff in the area I want to work? If the answer is yes – take some time to focus on opening up the area with good stretches prior to lifting any weights.  It will pay off in the long run.

Unsure what needs stretching and what needs strengthening? Grab a friend, and perform the test below using the Posture Assessment and Common Posture Problems worksheets to help you.

I was at a kickoff event the other night for The Licorice Project where I repeatedly heard from breast cancer survivors that they thought they shouldn’t lift weights. While that is true of women in the throes of a lymphedema flare up – it is not only safe to be lifting weights after treatments, it’s recommended! Many women are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis because of their treatments, especially if they had treatment induced menopause from their chemotherapy or surgical choices.

The old rule of thumb used to be not to lift more than five pounds. We now know that not to be true. And let’s face it- most grocery bags exceed that limit. What we do know is that a well-rounded resistance training program can actually reduce lymphatic swelling and increase bone density.

Here are some guidelines to help get you started:

1. Ask your doctor if you should wear a compression sleeve.
2. Don’t start lifting until you have full range of motion in your arms.
3. Measure the circumference of your upper and lower arms before starting.
4. Begin with very light weights and complete 10-15 repetitions.
5. Re-measure your arms the following day- checking for swelling. If none, carry on.
6. If there is minor swelling, wait for it to go down and start again with lighter weights.
7. If there is major swelling – see you doctor.
8. Gradually increase your resistance to a weight that is difficult to lift more than 15 times. 
9. Finish each workout with stretching.
10. For some exercise ideas, click here.

If you are hesitant to start, find a certified cancer exercise specialist or physical therapist to help get you started. The benefits far outweigh any risk you might fear.

It turns out your biggest health threat might be your desk – even if you exercise regularly. Studies show that sitting for over six hours can be detrimental to your health. This is especially frightening considering American sits on average nine hours a day.

“Sitting time is emerging as a strong candidate for being a cancer risk factor in its own right. It seems highly likely that the longer you sit, the higher your risk. This phenomenon isn’t dependent on body weight or how much exercise people do,” according to Neville Owen, PhD, of Australia’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, who presented his latest research finding at the November American Institute for Cancer Research meeting in Washington, D.C.

An analysis of existing research suggests that 43,000 cases of colon cancer and almost 49,000 cases of breast cancer might be avoided by spending less time being sedentary. The problem, Owens said, lies in the physiological changes that occur to your metabolism when your body is sedentary.

Our bodies produce signals called biomarkers which are linked to cancer, and there is a strong relationship between these biomarkers and inactivity. In a study published in the European Heart Journal, Dr. Owen found that getting up and moving, even taking breaks as short as one minute, can lower these biomarkers. Exercise, it appears, can help lower levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation and possibly cancer risk.  

Dr. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, and leading researcher on the health hazards of sitting too much agrees. “The trick, the trick, the trick,” he said, is to have it firmly fixed in our minds, “that sitting is the new smoking. That sitting is literally bad for you.”

The American Institute for Cancer Research now recommends that adults who sit most of the day take one- or two-minute ”activity” breaks every hour. The good news is it’s not as hard to do as you might think. Here are some tips to help you keep moving throughout your day:

• Set your watch or a timer near your desk to beep every hour to remind you to stand up and move.
• Drink plenty of water. You will take more bathroom breaks, causing you to move more.
• Instead of calling a coworker, walk to their area and have your conversation in person.
• Place the word “move” near your computer as a reminder to get up.
• Stand up while on the talking on the phone.
• Have a “walk and talk” meeting with your co-workers or friends.
• Purchase a pedometer and get the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

I hate New Year’s resolutions. They seem so negative. I resolve… sounds like a punishment already. What I do like are goals. Now that’s something I wrap my head around. Goals can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be short-term, long-term, big or small and anywhere in between. Goals are something we can work towards and not feel like a failure if we stray while trying to reach them. Too often when we make a resolution, as soon as we misstep- which you know we will- we feel we have failed and who wants that?

So as we embark on the New Year, I encourage you to set some goals. Here are a few tips to help you reach them.

1. For a big goal, start with the end in mind and then think of the actions it will take to achieve it. This is called “chunking it down.” These are now mini goals.
2. Choose one mini goal to focus on every couple of days. You can alternate what they are or stay with one until you achieve it. The great thing is there is no right or wrong.
3. Tell others what your goals are.  Research shows two things here. One, others want to help you reach your goals and two, the more you verbalize your goals the greater success you have in achieving them.
4. Set some today only goals. I call these “one and done”. Example: My goal is to drink more water.  So if I have a glass of water first thing in the morning- I’m done. It was more than I used to do and I achieved my goal – go me! I just experienced success- which motivates me instead of discourages me.
5. Reward yourself, whether you reach your goal or not! Yes, you read that right. The biggest failure is in not trying, so if you are trying you are already successful .

What are your goals?

I went to an amazing funeral today. I know that sounds sacrilegious, but let me explain. My husband’s best friend from childhood, Brian Baker, died in an accident in his home last weekend while celebrating the news of the arrival of his first grandchild.  How very tragic. Prior to the start of the services everyone was trying to make sense of it and console one another, a daunting task. But then an amazing thing happened.

It had nothing to do with the traditional Catholic mass format with all the prayers and hymns. It had everything to do with his family and friends. The first speaker did an outstanding job of depicting Brian – warts and all. What was blatantly clear was Brian was a man who knew how to love, give, protect, laugh and live. It had nothing to do with money and everything to do with understanding life was a gift meant to be shared with others.  Family member after family member echoed these sentiments throughout the service. The end result was everyone one there today left feeling better for having known Brian  and inspired to live their own lives a little more fully.

It shouldn’t take the death of a loved one or receiving a cancer diagnosis to remind us of this, but sometimes it does. What I ask of you reading this is to celebrate the simple things this holiday season – family, friendships, random acts of kindness and loving who you are, right now, right here today.

The last thing anyone feels like doing when they’re tired is working out. I get it, I’ve been there. But I also know that it takes energy to get energy. This is true for everyone, but especially if you have cancer.  The researchers at the University of the West England in Bristol have discovered that exercises such as walking and cycling boost the energy levels in cancer patients, helping them to deal with fatigue, a common and potentially long-lasting side-effect often associated with cancer and treatment.

According to Fiona Cramp, MD, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, aerobic exercises are more beneficial compared to the other forms of exercises like yoga and resistance training.

Their updated systematic review strengthens findings from an earlier version on cancer-related fatigue published in The Cochrane Library by adding a further 28 studies to those included in the 2008 review. Altogether, 56 studies involving a total of 4,068 people with cancer were included. Half of the studies were carried out in people with breast cancer.  

 “The evidence suggests that exercise may help reduce cancer-related fatigue and should therefore be considered as one component of a strategy for managing fatigue that may include a range of other interventions and education,” said Cramp. “This updated review provides a more precise conclusion, showing specifically that aerobic exercise, both during and after cancer treatment, can be beneficial.”

Don’t worry; no one’s suggesting an all-out high intensity workout! Start slowly with 5-10 minutes of walking and gradually build up to 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Not only will your energy increase and mood improve, your chances of a cancer recurrence can decrease by as much as 30% for prostate cancer patients and 40% for breast cancer patients.  Now that’s worth moving for!

What’s your favorite aerobic exercise?

1. Drink plenty of fluids- water not eggnog. Your blood flow and digestion are affected by how much water you drink. You actually burn more calories per minute the better hydrated you are. Drinking a glass of water before eating is also an effective tool for feeling full, aiding in reducing your calorie intake.
2. Sweat it out this holiday season.  I call this “burn it to earn it”. If you know you’re going to take in more calories, be prepared to burn more off.  However, don’t fool yourself. One 30 minute walk will not burn off the 4,500 calories and 299 grams of fat that the average American will consume on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Calorie Control Council.
3. Lay off the potatoes- as in the couch kind. Every time you move your body benefits. In fact recent research has shown that just 3 minutes of activity can increase your life span. So park a little bit further away while at the mall or throw in a couple of flights of stairs between writing holiday cards.
4. Downsize your table settings. The smaller your plates and utensils are the less food you can put on them. Not only will your plate appear fuller, your brain will actually think you have eaten more!
5. Fight with your relatives. Bundle up, go outside and have a good old fashioned snowball fight. This is a great way to get some squats, lunges and light weight training in without ever having to go to the gym. Better yet- build a snowman. There’s nothing quite as physically challenging as trying to put that head on top!

Care to share your tips?

A year ago while gathering research for my book I stumbled across Dan Dewey whose kind gesture to buy a Starbucks coffee for everyone having chemo with his dad blossomed into a weekly ritual that still continues to this day, even though his dad passed away in 2008.

I recently met two other people through a friend of mine Lisa Nigro whose own idea to start Inspiration Café  ended up with her receiving the 2010 Presidents Citizens Medal! Lisa asked if I would be part of a think tank of teachers to help her friend Matt to hone his ideas for his A Bigger World Foundation which believes that youth + travel + passion = changing the world. We all met at Curt’s Café in Evanston, the amazing brain child of Susan Trieschmann, who believes in “serving up good portions of hope and opportunity.”

Just last week, a friend alerted me to Cassandra Christopher-Summers who started Mary’s Room a not-for-profit group dedicated to redecorating the bedrooms of breast cancer patients. A simple but powerful concept!

This summer I also met Kendra Olvany who was inspired by her sister’s breast cancer diagnosis to launch the Licorice Project, an upcoming website dedicated to helping others navigate this disease.

The cool thing about all these people is they started with an idea, talked about it and tried it. That’s what I’m trying to do, one book – one patient at a time. Please don’t underestimate the power of your thoughts actions and deeds. If you have an idea to help someone out, go for it!  The only failure you will experience is in not trying.

“Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it.” 

W. Clement Stone

What idea can we help you with?