A Little Encouragement Can Go A Long Way

I admit, I've been having a bit of an off week. I was upset by the death of a friend. I've found it hard to really focus on the final editing for the redesign of the Life-Cise website (but it really should be live within a week or so....focus, Julie!). I was feeling just a little under the weather - not sick, but maybe feeling like I might be coming down with something. And maybe because I wasn't feeling my best, I've been feeling all sorts of aches and pains in my legs from running.

I wasn't able to keep up with my running coach's plans for the week. I told him about it, so he adjusted my plan, cutting down the miles and easing up on some of the harder workouts. Argh! I hate not being able to keep up with the plan! I hate having to back off!

But I also believe in listening to my body (and my coach). So even though I'm training for something big - more about that later - I know I needed to put my pride aside and take it easy. A big part of any training, no matter how big or small the goal, is to learn when to push and when to rest. Sometimes you do need to just kick yourself in the butt, and sometimes what you need is a nap.

So, it's the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean it feels good.

I was feeling pretty discouraged yesterday. And then I got a message from my little brother. He was just calling to say hello, but said something like, "I know you're probably out running or something. You know, I'm really impressed with what you're trying to do. I'm really proud of you." (oh, this is going to make my mom all weepy-eyed)

It was a quick, simple, little message - but it made me feel better. He knows what I'm trying to do. It's a really big, tough, scary thing for me (more about that soon...), but no matter how crazy it might be, he's there cheering me on.

It really is amazing what a few words of encouragement can do! It's like a little shot of energy - the same boost I get from a carload of old ladies or the teenagers waving and cheering me on when I'm out on a long run, trudging up a steep hill. They have no idea how much it can mean somewhere around mile 20! (this is different than the drivers who curse at me for being on the road, or play a game to see just how close they can come without hitting me, or run me off the road because they're too busy talking on the phone - please, please, please do not be one of those drivers!!!!)

I may have fallen short of my goals for the week, but I'm still moving forward. I'm running another half marathon on Saturday, and then I'll run some more, and some more....Thanks for the boost, Mike.

And for all of you (because I know you all have your own goals), I offer my brother's words to you: I know what you're trying to do and I'm proud of you!

Julie

Another Loss

While out for an afternoon ski, I got a call telling me of the sad news of the passing of yet another friend. Ellie was a violinist and a thoroughly lovely person. She and her husband, also a violinist, retired from the NY Philharmonic, were 2 of the dearest people I know. I had the good fortune to be able to sometimes play chamber music with them and to call them my friends.

This was Ellie's second cancer. She survived breast cancer years before me. But she had been sick for the last year with a new cancer. The last time I saw her was just before Christmas. We were playing a concert together. She had been receiving in-patient chemotherapy; she had just finished her final treatment 2 days before. I loved that no matter how tired she was, she was determined to play the concert. Just 2 days out of the hospital and she would not be stopped. As she put it, "What else am I going to do?"

My heart goes out to Alan, her husband, and their whole family - especially their grandchildren to whom she was so wildly devoted!

When I was just starting chemo, Ellie and I were playing some job together (those 3 tenors, or the 3 Irish tenors, or the 3 Mo-town tenors...). We had dinner together. It was the first time I had seen her since my diagnosis. My hair had just begun to fall out. I remember how upset and angry she was when she heard - that was when she told me she, too, was a breast cancer survivor. At the time, it seemed odd to me that she got so upset, that she seemed to take it so very personally.

By now, I understand that. I, too, take it personally. Her death has hit me hard. All the deaths hit me hard. Is it just that I'm now in my mid-40s, so more people I know will be getting sick and dying? Or is it that because I'm part of the cancer community I simply know more people who die? Or just because of my history that I pay more attention?

Maybe this is why I get annoyed sometimes at the feel-good, hard-charging cancer warriors who act as if cancer is just a bump in the road - something you have & you get over & get on with your life! Please know that I truly do appreciate what all those organizations have done and continue to do! I certainly owe a great debt of gratitude to them for making it possible to be an energized, empowered cancer survivor.

But cancer is not always something we just get over. It is not just the flu. Some of us are hugely lucky to become long-term survivors in good health. But even we give up a lot in the process. And we know far too many who are not as lucky as we are. Far too often, cancer is a still a disease that ends lives.

All of this comes at the same time that I have been doing the final editing for the new Life-Cise website (coming soon, I promise)...more information, more services, more stuff. So all of this pensiveness (I choose to think of it as pensiveness rather than plain old negativity) is coloring all of my thoughts about what I'm trying to do.

The thing is, in spite of a completely realistic view of cancer (yes, it does sometimes kill people), I do believe in doing everything possible to live a good life for as long as we can. No one knows how long they'll be around - not us, not the "healthy" folks who have never had cancer, not the old, not the young. None of us knows. But we - those of us who have faced cancer - understand that maybe just a bit better than most. We don't really know what the future holds for us. I don't, even though I'm almost a 10-year survivor now.

So I think it's that much more important to live as well as we can.

Julie

Exercising Outdoors Has It's Perqs

Do you exercise in a gym, at home, or outdoors? If you get your exercise outdoors, you could be getting more juice from your workouts beyond the physical benefits.

A review of existing studies found that exercising outdoors showed an addition benefit of mental well-being compared with indoor exercise. Outdoor activity was associated with increased energy and a sense of revitalization, as well as decreased anger, confusion, and symptoms of depression.

Also, people taking part in outdoor activity said they were more likely to engage in that activity in the future.

I love being outdoors! If I have a choice, I will usually choose to exercise outside. Even if the weather is nasty, I would rather be out in it than in a gym on a treadmill. (but that's just me)

One of the reasons I love exercising outdoors is that it somehow gives my mind the space to wander. It energizes me and calms me at the same time.

Back when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and throughout my treatments, this was so important to me. The exercise was great, but I also loved the sense of well-being I got from being out in nature. There was something so comforting to me about seeing all the faces of nature: beautiful, wicked weather, death and decay, and new life. Somehow it made whatever I was facing seem more natural. It was just another part of life, or at least my life - not unlike a tree that gets split but continues to struggle to live, sending out new shoots seeking light.

I always stress that you should do activities that you enjoy and that you're most likely to continue to do. If getting on the treadmill for 45 minutes a day is what will get it done for you, then keep doing that. But try adding in a walk outside once in a while. You might find it helps in more ways than just exercising your body.

Julie

Lymph Node Removal May Not Be Necessary In Some Breast Cancers

OK, this is HUGE news in breast cancer-ville! Researchers have found that for some women with early breast cancer, lymph node removal may not be necessary.

Women who's tumors were smaller than 2 inches (T1 or T2), had a lumpectomy, and had 1 or 2 positive lymph nodes, were randomly assigned to have 10 or more additional nodes removed or to leave the nodes alone. Most of the women had radiation and chemotherapy or hormonal treatments. There was no significant difference between the two groups in 5-year survival. I've written more about the study on the Life-Cise News page.

This is big news! This, combined with previous research, is potentially practice-changing.

And this could make huge differences in the quality of life for thousands of women. Node removal carries risks. As many of us know, we face potential infections, pain, limited range of motion, and increased risk of lymphedema.

Imagine, not having to add worry of lymphedema to all the other worries that go with a cancer diagnosis.

But, as important as this study is, I find myself feeling just a little skeptical. It's interesting. I understand the findings, but emotionally, it's somehow hard to accept that less treatment/surgery is good enough. It's easier for me to accept an research that shows that more is necessary. I guess it's because we all feel such pressure to do everything we possibly can to beat this disease. I never want to go through all of what I did again, so I'm happy to add on something more. But doing less feels scary to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm elated by this research. It doesn't matter for me, but could have such a major impact on other women in the future. It's wonderful for them.

I just find my fear of doing less interesting. Your thoughts? I'm curious how some of you feel about this.

Julie

Preventing Cancer Through Exercise

Last Friday, Feb. 4, was World Cancer Day. In the midst of the flurry of statements and press releases from around the world were new exercise recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. 


The WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, which is around 30 minutes 5 or more days per week. They estimate that lack of physical activity is the main cause of about a quarter of all breast and colon cancers, as well as 27% of diabetes cases and 30% of heart disease.

That's means a quarter of some pretty serious diseases are entirely preventable!

The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research estimate that one third of common cancers in the U.S., U.K., and China are preventable by simple lifestyle changes - don't smoke, eat a healthier diet, and exercise more. (I've written about both statements on the Life-Cise News page.)

And for those of us who have already had cancer, we have evidence from numerous studies that exercise positively impacts the outcome for several cancers.

So, do we really need more to convince us? Of course, I know most of you reading this blog are already convinced. But besides working to keep ourselves active and motivated, maybe we can also do a little something to encourage those around us.

Ask your best friend or sister to exercise with you. Having an exercise partner is a great way to keep motivated. Don't live close? It doesn't really matter. Set fitness goals and check in with each other as often as you need.

It will be fun. It will be good for both of you. And it might just save her life - or yours.

Julie