A breast cancer diagnosis may set back your fitness routine, but it's only temporary. Get back in shape! Strength training is just one exercise option after breast cancer.
A breast cancer diagnosis may set back your fitness routine, but it's only temporary. Get back in shape! Strength training is just one exercise option after breast cancer. “I was very active before breast cancer. I enjoyed hiking, biking, personal training, water and snow skiing, tennis, horseback riding, you name it!” says Elizabeth Dyer, a cancer survivor. “I worked out throughout my chemo and radiation, and after my double mastectomy I started running the local trails.” It used to be that following lymph node removal or a mastectomy, women were not encouraged to exercise. Not the case anymore. Women like Dyer are changing the portrait of the breast cancer survivor. “The research shows that women should try to stay as active as possible before, during, and after their treatment. So they don’t have to start exercising after treatment. Even during treatment, they can use a pedometer, track their steps, and try to stay active,” says Julie Silver, MD, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.