In a marriage of two different aspects of my life, I'll be taking part in a panel discussion of the healing power of music. It's a pre-concert discussion as part of Victoria Bond's Cutting Edge Concerts at Symphony Space in NYC. The discussion takes place Monday, April 26, 6:30pm, at Symphony Space. It's followed at 7:30 by a concert featuring music of Victoria Bond and Ivan Moody.
Fifty percent of the proceeds of this concert will go to Young Survival Coalition.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Enjoy!
I know these things. But when I went out for a walk, I wasn't thinking about those things. I was thinking it's a beautiful day and I want to enjoy it. And this time, tired of trying to take pictures with just my cell phone, I took along the Nikon and a macro lens.
Enjoy!
Julie
Friday, April 23, 2010
Taking My Own Advice
Although yesterday was quite full for me, I decided my advice to everyone else was actually pretty good - go outside, even for just a few minutes. I did, and was richly rewarded. I only had 15 minutes to walk in the woods, but they were 15 very good minutes.
I always stress the importance of choosing an activity you enjoy because you're so much more likely to stick with it. If we think of exercise as nothing but a chore, and choose activities that make it feel like a chore, how much are we actually going to exercise?
Julie
(And does anyone know this delicate little yellow flower? I know the pics not so good - cell phone - no focus control. It grows in a drying up stream bed, in the midst of trout lilies.)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Breast Cancer Exercise Tips - Julie Goodale Exercises with Fox News iMag
Get a couple of quick exercise tips for breast cancer survivors. This is the video I shot for the folks at Fox News iMag. They are running a whole series on Breast Cancer. Please visit www.FNCiMag.com to watch all the informative and inspiring breast cancer videos (including my own Survivor Story).
Julie
Friday, April 16, 2010
Progression
Great, you've started exercising again, or for the first time! What now?
I'm hoping you started off pretty moderately. It's easy in our enthusiasm for doing something positive to start off too aggressively, and end up injured or really sore - and not so enthusiastic anymore. And I hope you chose an activity you actually enjoy. You're so much more likely to continue if you're having fun.
But, let's assume you did it the smart way. Now that you're beginning to feel just a little stronger, you'd like to increase your workout a little. What's the best way to do that? For all the same reasons that you should start moderately, you should build up your workout moderately.
If you have started a cardio workout - walking or riding a bike, for instance - you can increase in 3 different ways. You can increase the duration of your workout - the length of time you are exercising. You can increase the frequency of your workout - how often you are working out. Or you can increase the intensity - how hard you are exercising.
Just don't increase them all at the same time! Increase only one element at a time. And the increase should be moderate. Maybe add 10-15% to your time, as an example.
The same principle applies to weight lifting. As you begin feeling stronger and want to progress, you can increase the number of repetitions (this is like duration). But still only do as many reps. as you can in good form! You can increase the number of sets of repetitions (frequency). Or the amount of weight - intensity. Only increase one element at a time, and increase it moderately.
One other important point: stick with your new level of exercise for at least a week or two before bumping it up another notch. Our bodies take time to build up strength. If you increase more quickly than that, you're not really giving your muscles a chance to build the needed strength for the new workload.
The goal is to progress, to build up strength and stamina safely and effectively. Happy (and safe) progression.
Julie
I'm hoping you started off pretty moderately. It's easy in our enthusiasm for doing something positive to start off too aggressively, and end up injured or really sore - and not so enthusiastic anymore. And I hope you chose an activity you actually enjoy. You're so much more likely to continue if you're having fun.
But, let's assume you did it the smart way. Now that you're beginning to feel just a little stronger, you'd like to increase your workout a little. What's the best way to do that? For all the same reasons that you should start moderately, you should build up your workout moderately. If you have started a cardio workout - walking or riding a bike, for instance - you can increase in 3 different ways. You can increase the duration of your workout - the length of time you are exercising. You can increase the frequency of your workout - how often you are working out. Or you can increase the intensity - how hard you are exercising.
Just don't increase them all at the same time! Increase only one element at a time. And the increase should be moderate. Maybe add 10-15% to your time, as an example.
The same principle applies to weight lifting. As you begin feeling stronger and want to progress, you can increase the number of repetitions (this is like duration). But still only do as many reps. as you can in good form! You can increase the number of sets of repetitions (frequency). Or the amount of weight - intensity. Only increase one element at a time, and increase it moderately.One other important point: stick with your new level of exercise for at least a week or two before bumping it up another notch. Our bodies take time to build up strength. If you increase more quickly than that, you're not really giving your muscles a chance to build the needed strength for the new workload.
The goal is to progress, to build up strength and stamina safely and effectively. Happy (and safe) progression.
Julie
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Health Of Our Care - me, naked but for my slingshot
I received a letter today from Aetna that starts out: Dear Valued Member.... At least I'm a valued member now. When Aetna sent me the letter last month announcing they were raising my premium more than 35%, to $1204 per month, I was not valued, I was just Julie Goodale.
This letter is notification that Aetna has terminated it's contract with the hospitals where my doctors are. The termination is effective April 5 (and today's date would be April 13, more than a week after the fact).
These are my cancer doctors, the doctors I've been with for nearly 9 years, the doctors who know me - my cancer, my treatments, my body, my life. These are the doctors who are largely responsible for me still being here, nearly 9 years later.
At least I'm not in active treatment. I know people around the country who's insurers suddenly have dropped their doctors/hospitals. I know some who are in the middle of treatment and have had to switch to an unknown doctor, or drive more than an hour further for a covered doctor.
With my premium increase, I had been considering changing plans. But I worried about a new plan covering everything. I know too many people who check to make sure their insurance covers their cancer doctors, only to find out later that it doesn't.
Now Aetna has made my decision for me - I'm looking for other insurance. The problem I've encountered so far is that I'm an individual and almost no one offers individual plans in New York. There seems to be a virtual monopoly. In response to my inquiries, I've gotten calls from brokers offering me plans that are not insurance, but rather contracted discount rates with certain doctors (but they can't tell me what doctors are actually part of their network). And all the brokers, upon hearing that I want actual insurance and that I'm an individual, inform me they have nothing to offer. "New York is difficult, and you're just one individual."
I said in my original post of this series that this would not be an insurance-bashing festival. I'm trying. But Aetna is making it very difficult to keep this from degenerating into an Aetna-bashing fest.
From Aetna's website: We believe we can help create a better health care system. This belief drives our daily decisions as one of the nation's leading health care benefits companies. We help people achieve health and financial security by providing easy access to cost-effective, high-quality health care.
Aetna raised my (and many others') premium over 35% a month ago. Aetna's CEO, Ron Williams, says if people are seeing large increases, it's because medical costs are going up that much. My records, from Aetna, do not indicate large increases from my doctors or hospitals. I don't believe the billing rate for my cancer doctors has changed since I've been with them (and I'm thinking, since they worked so hard and were so successful in keeping me alive, if anyone deserves a raise, it's them!). According to Aetna's own SEC filings, downloaded from their website, Aetna's medical costs have only gone up around 15%.
If this weren't so infuriating, it would just be ironic because I am actually exactly who Mr. Williams and other insurance executives say they want as customers. They want customers who are young and healthy and pay their bills, not people who wait until they're sick to sign up.
I was in my mid-20s when I signed up. I was healthy, took very good care of myself, didn't run to the doctor for every little cold, and I always paid my bill. Alright, I believe once I was late paying because I was traveling. Aetna gave me a pass that time since it was such an aberration. (that was back before this new crop of executives signed on - I wonder if they would be so understanding now?) True, I was unlucky enough to get run down by a bad taxi driver and then got breast cancer. But the business of insurance is about risk, isn't it? That's why they want more young, healthy customers, to lower the overall risk. On paper, I was exactly who they wanted. Since my treatment, I continue to take very good care of myself - after all, I do believe in personal responsibility. And I have been blessedly NED (no evidence of disease).
At this point, I must question Mr. Williams', Mr. Zubretsky's (CFO), and Mr. Berolini's (President) strategic business plan for Aetna. If, in fact, you are in the business of insurance, which is all about risk, don't you want to encourage your ideal customer to join you? Don't you want more of your ideal customers - the customers who are young, healthy, responsible people? How, precisely, do you plan to attract more of those customers when you treat those of us who were exactly what you wanted with such callous disregard? Is this the better health system? For whom?
Again, I ask the shareholders of Aetna, what is your plan? Surely, you do plan to short your Aetna stock, right? I mean, is this in any way a sustainable business plan? The decisions of the executives you pay so handsomely (some might call obscenely) are bankrupting your current customers or driving them away. And those decisions are driving away potential new customers as well. How is this a good business model? Please explain.
To anyone else out there, got any good insurance suggestions?
Julie
This letter is notification that Aetna has terminated it's contract with the hospitals where my doctors are. The termination is effective April 5 (and today's date would be April 13, more than a week after the fact).
These are my cancer doctors, the doctors I've been with for nearly 9 years, the doctors who know me - my cancer, my treatments, my body, my life. These are the doctors who are largely responsible for me still being here, nearly 9 years later.
At least I'm not in active treatment. I know people around the country who's insurers suddenly have dropped their doctors/hospitals. I know some who are in the middle of treatment and have had to switch to an unknown doctor, or drive more than an hour further for a covered doctor.
With my premium increase, I had been considering changing plans. But I worried about a new plan covering everything. I know too many people who check to make sure their insurance covers their cancer doctors, only to find out later that it doesn't.
Now Aetna has made my decision for me - I'm looking for other insurance. The problem I've encountered so far is that I'm an individual and almost no one offers individual plans in New York. There seems to be a virtual monopoly. In response to my inquiries, I've gotten calls from brokers offering me plans that are not insurance, but rather contracted discount rates with certain doctors (but they can't tell me what doctors are actually part of their network). And all the brokers, upon hearing that I want actual insurance and that I'm an individual, inform me they have nothing to offer. "New York is difficult, and you're just one individual."
I said in my original post of this series that this would not be an insurance-bashing festival. I'm trying. But Aetna is making it very difficult to keep this from degenerating into an Aetna-bashing fest.
From Aetna's website: We believe we can help create a better health care system. This belief drives our daily decisions as one of the nation's leading health care benefits companies. We help people achieve health and financial security by providing easy access to cost-effective, high-quality health care.
Aetna raised my (and many others') premium over 35% a month ago. Aetna's CEO, Ron Williams, says if people are seeing large increases, it's because medical costs are going up that much. My records, from Aetna, do not indicate large increases from my doctors or hospitals. I don't believe the billing rate for my cancer doctors has changed since I've been with them (and I'm thinking, since they worked so hard and were so successful in keeping me alive, if anyone deserves a raise, it's them!). According to Aetna's own SEC filings, downloaded from their website, Aetna's medical costs have only gone up around 15%.
If this weren't so infuriating, it would just be ironic because I am actually exactly who Mr. Williams and other insurance executives say they want as customers. They want customers who are young and healthy and pay their bills, not people who wait until they're sick to sign up.
I was in my mid-20s when I signed up. I was healthy, took very good care of myself, didn't run to the doctor for every little cold, and I always paid my bill. Alright, I believe once I was late paying because I was traveling. Aetna gave me a pass that time since it was such an aberration. (that was back before this new crop of executives signed on - I wonder if they would be so understanding now?) True, I was unlucky enough to get run down by a bad taxi driver and then got breast cancer. But the business of insurance is about risk, isn't it? That's why they want more young, healthy customers, to lower the overall risk. On paper, I was exactly who they wanted. Since my treatment, I continue to take very good care of myself - after all, I do believe in personal responsibility. And I have been blessedly NED (no evidence of disease).
At this point, I must question Mr. Williams', Mr. Zubretsky's (CFO), and Mr. Berolini's (President) strategic business plan for Aetna. If, in fact, you are in the business of insurance, which is all about risk, don't you want to encourage your ideal customer to join you? Don't you want more of your ideal customers - the customers who are young, healthy, responsible people? How, precisely, do you plan to attract more of those customers when you treat those of us who were exactly what you wanted with such callous disregard? Is this the better health system? For whom?
Again, I ask the shareholders of Aetna, what is your plan? Surely, you do plan to short your Aetna stock, right? I mean, is this in any way a sustainable business plan? The decisions of the executives you pay so handsomely (some might call obscenely) are bankrupting your current customers or driving them away. And those decisions are driving away potential new customers as well. How is this a good business model? Please explain.
To anyone else out there, got any good insurance suggestions?
Julie
Monday, April 12, 2010
Weight Training After Breast Cancer - Tonight!
Just a quick reminder - tonight is the Weight Training After Breast Cancer program with Young Survival Coalition NYC & SHARE. I'll be leading the program at Asphalt Green (York & 91st, NYC) from 6:00-7:30pm. RSVP deadline was Friday, but if you call I believe you may still get in.
I hope some of you can join us - it would be great to meet in person!
Julie
I hope some of you can join us - it would be great to meet in person!
Julie
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Pushups for Fox News - Upcoming Breast Cancer Video
I just got back from my morning of pushups for Fox News iMag. They're doing a Breast Cancer series. This morning I was finishing up my video for the series.
After hair & makeup (something I'm definitely not used to for a workout!), we went to the gym to shoot me doing a lot of pushups. I did a few other exercises and stretches, but what I remember was a lot of pushups.
At least it seemed like a lot of pushups to me. You all know that I love pushups - the nearly perfect exercise. But they're not easy for me, or for just about anyone after breast cancer. They are always a challenge, no matter how good shape I'm in. Maybe that's part of why I like doing them....
When we shot the first part, I wore a fleece pullover - it made sense, we were in the middle of a snow storm. I had to wear the same thing for today's shoot - but today it's in the 80s - ow!
Aside from being hot, it was a lot of fun. I'll let you know when it's posted. (although, I've never watched myself doing pushups, so I have a great fear of looking ridiculous - or shaky.) Thanks to Colleen, Dave & Keith for making the whole thing easy & fun. And thanks to the lovely ladies in hair & makeup for making me look beautiful!
Julie
After hair & makeup (something I'm definitely not used to for a workout!), we went to the gym to shoot me doing a lot of pushups. I did a few other exercises and stretches, but what I remember was a lot of pushups.At least it seemed like a lot of pushups to me. You all know that I love pushups - the nearly perfect exercise. But they're not easy for me, or for just about anyone after breast cancer. They are always a challenge, no matter how good shape I'm in. Maybe that's part of why I like doing them....
When we shot the first part, I wore a fleece pullover - it made sense, we were in the middle of a snow storm. I had to wear the same thing for today's shoot - but today it's in the 80s - ow!
Aside from being hot, it was a lot of fun. I'll let you know when it's posted. (although, I've never watched myself doing pushups, so I have a great fear of looking ridiculous - or shaky.) Thanks to Colleen, Dave & Keith for making the whole thing easy & fun. And thanks to the lovely ladies in hair & makeup for making me look beautiful!
Julie
Monday, April 5, 2010
Weight Training and Exercise After Breast Cancer
If you are in the NYC area, please join me for this weight training workshop. I'll make you laugh; I'll make you cry; I'll make you lift weights! We'll have fun.
Julie
Weight Training and Exercise After Breast Cancer
Monday, April 12, 2010
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Join YSC NYC and SHARE for the second program in our young women's Empowerment Series. Julie Goodale, young breast cancer survivor, certified personal trainer (ACSM), certified cancer exercise specialist (CETI) and founder of Life-Cise: Fitness for Survivors, will lead this exciting fitness workshop for young women affected by breast cancer. Learn about the benefits of incorporating fitness into your daily routine after a breast cancer diagnosis and walk away with Julie's practical exercise and strength training tips. Please wear comfortable clothing. RSVP required by April 9th.
Asphalt Green
1750 York Avenue (at 91st)
New York, NY
RSVP Required
Contact: Young Survival Coalition NYC
yscnewyorkcity@youngsurvival.org
www.youngsurvival.org/newyorkcity
Julie
Weight Training and Exercise After Breast Cancer
Monday, April 12, 2010
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Join YSC NYC and SHARE for the second program in our young women's Empowerment Series. Julie Goodale, young breast cancer survivor, certified personal trainer (ACSM), certified cancer exercise specialist (CETI) and founder of Life-Cise: Fitness for Survivors, will lead this exciting fitness workshop for young women affected by breast cancer. Learn about the benefits of incorporating fitness into your daily routine after a breast cancer diagnosis and walk away with Julie's practical exercise and strength training tips. Please wear comfortable clothing. RSVP required by April 9th.
Asphalt Green
1750 York Avenue (at 91st)
New York, NY
RSVP Required
Contact: Young Survival Coalition NYC
yscnewyorkcity@youngsurvival.org
www.youngsurvival.org/newyorkcity
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Out Of The Gym and On To The Trail
It's just too nice a day to go to the gym! I enjoy working out at the gym, but I'd rather be outside. As a trainer, I probably shouldn't be encouraging people not to go to the gym. But as a fitness professional, I'm much more interested in your overall health. So if you would like to go for a walk on a beautiful day rather than go to the gym, do it! Enjoy. You are much more likely to exercise if you choose an activity that you enjoy.
So today I suited up in my compression sleeve and headed out for a hike. I often wear my sleeve when I hike because I've learned that my body tends to puff up when I hike on hot days - and it's suddenly close to 80 degrees here. I've learned that lymphedema prevention is easier than dealing with a puffy hand/arm later. 
And on my hike I made a stop for some water and pushups. Water because staying hydrated is always important. Pushups because they're such a perfect exercise. And I found a perfect spot. I always encourage my clients, both my local Stay Fit Stay Strong clients and my Life-Cise clients, to do the things they enjoy. Do it with enthusiasm and joy. Do it with vigor. Just (to borrow a phrase) do it!
Julie
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Beauty Schooled Project's Feminist Blog Carnival (I'm included!)
I am very pleased to be included in Beauty Schooled Project's Feminist Blog Carnival. My recent post about Body Image was chosen to join the ranks of a lot of other terrific women writers as part of the carnival. There are articles on beauty, accepting your body, beauty & consumerism, weddings.... Please stop by and check them out. I'm still working my way through all the posts, but am enjoying the reading immensely.
And please take a closer look at Beauty Schooled beyond just the Carnival. My friend Virginia is spending 600 hours (the hours required for esthetician licensing) learning about the inner workings of the beauty industry. How much do you really know about the women who do your nails, cut your hair, or make your clothes?
Julie
And please take a closer look at Beauty Schooled beyond just the Carnival. My friend Virginia is spending 600 hours (the hours required for esthetician licensing) learning about the inner workings of the beauty industry. How much do you really know about the women who do your nails, cut your hair, or make your clothes?
Julie
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