An article brought to you by Dara Kurtz. Dara Kurtz is a breast cancer survivor and provides Survivor Mentorship & Support at Cancer Services.
This month, in our Empowered Living series, we’re focusing on movement.
If you’ve found yourself thinking, I should exercise more, but it feels overwhelming, don’t worry. At Cancer Services, we’re here to help you!
Get Moving!
When the weather starts to warm up, and it stays lighter later into the evenings, for me, everything feels a little more manageable. We have more time to get our “To Do” list done, fit in some extra fun activities, and more opportunities to go outside, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
There’s also something about this time of year that makes many of us want to hit the reset button on our lives.
We clean out our closets, open the windows, and maybe think about our daily routines and how we can take better care of ourselves. If you’ve found yourself thinking, I should exercise more, but it feels overwhelming, don’t worry. At Cancer Services, we’re here to help you!
This month, our challenge focuses on movement and exercise. We all know that exercise during and after cancer treatment can have meaningful benefits, including: reducing fatigue, improving your mood and mental health, supporting better sleep, rebuilding your strength and endurance, helping manage your side effects, boosting your immune system, protecting your heart, and improving your quality of life.
Even though we know exercise is good for us, why is it often hard to actually do it? I’m not going to list the plethora of excuses I’ve heard from people over the years. Instead, here’s what I want you to remember…
All you have to do is start.
That’s right… Just start. (After your doctor has given you the green light, of course!)
Sometimes, we make things much harder than they have to be. But right now, in this season, starting can actually be really simple.
Because all you have to do is go outside and walk.
Doesn’t that sound easy enough?
You don’t have to go far or walk fast. You don’t even have to walk for a certain number of minutes or count your steps. Just get outside and move your body. See how it feels. The goal isn’t to push yourself too hard. The goal is to work with where you are and come up with a routine you can stick to. Doing too much too fast can backfire, leaving you sore and exhausted, and could even injure you, which would not be helpful. Instead, you want to build up your stamina and figure out what actually works for your body.
Maybe it’s ten minutes for a few days, and once you feel like that’s manageable, you go to fifteen minutes. Perhaps you can use this time to listen to your favorite podcast. You could even decide to call a friend and start exercising together. For me, exercising outside has always been one of my favorite things to do. There’s just something about being outside that makes me feel happy…Fresh air, being in nature, a little sunshine, and an opportunity to notice the flowers that are blooming. Plus, it’s free, and there’s relatively no planning involved.
Of course, if you want more structure, feel free to explore gym memberships, find classes like yoga, or even take up swimming. The most important thing is for you to figure out what you enjoy and what you are most likely to continue. Because we don’t just want you to start, we want you to keep moving your body well past our monthly challenge.
Start small.
Stay consistent.
Listen to your body.
And remember, you can do this, one step at a time, and we’re here to walk this path with you!
To read more tips from Dara Kurtz, check out our Empowered Living Page. You can also check out her substack page here!
Choose One (or All) of our April Challenges!
- Read Dara’s April Empowered Living article about “taking charge of your movement”! DONE!! EMAIL US TO REQUEST YOUR STICKER!
- Watch The Cancer Dietitian’s Webinar Recording – Nourish & Thrive: Eating Well After Cancer, with Confidence.
- Register for our Move More. Stress Less! Program. Register HERE!
- Try out a movement class you’ve never done before. Let us know what you try! (Click here for yoga options available to cancer survivors for free!).
- Pick your favorite walking trail, or hike, take a selfie and send it to Julie! We will compile a “survivors’ favorites” list of places to walk!
