YOU BETTER WORK

EXERCISE!!!

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.- 1 Corinthians 9:25

Exercise is a secret weapon for cancer patients! Not only does it help keep your muscles strong and energy levels up, but it also gives your immune system that boost we keep talking about. Plus, working out releases endorphins, those happy chemicals that can turn a bad day into a good one.  But once again, don’t just take my word for it.  A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that regular exercise can improve survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients (Schmitz et al., 2010).  It’s worth it.  Grab your sneakers.

The following videos are exercises you can do at home, with various levels of easiness or difficulty.  I’m putting these here for those of us who aren’t able to join a gym for whatever reason, but of course going to the gym or joining an exercise class is always an option!

Shoot for at least 3-5 hours a week and try to HAVE FUN with it!!!

TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA?

Stretching and strengthening clearly benefit the body, there’s no question.  And one of the most popular ways to stretch and strengthen is to practice yoga!  But yoga can be controversial for people who don’t practice Hinduism because of its origins and the very nature of the poses themselves.  Should Christians (or any non-Hindus) do yoga?  Should YOU do yoga?  The videos below will give you both sides of the argument so you can decide for yourself TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA!

So whatever you decide about yoga, below are a few options for stretching and relaxing for you to enjoy!

Now IF we’re recovering from surgery or in a phase of difficult treatment, it may be hard to get moving.  It may also be a bad idea to move too MUCH!  So the following are gentle ways we can move our bodies, even if we’re in bed!  Though it’s called “Yoga” these are not necessarily yoga poses, rather they’re stretches and gentle movement for realxation and recovery.  Remember after surgery we need REST, not stress, and we always need to talk to our doctor before trying anything new!

And juuust in case you missed the podcast on the incredible exercise of walking in nature…

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13

Citations:

Schmitz, K. H., Courneya, K. S., Matthews, C., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Galvão, D. A., Pinto, B. M., … & Schwartz, A. L. (2010). American College of Sports Medicine roundtable on exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 28(16), 1997-2014. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2009.27.0656