October Exercise Thread

[kiwiinoz]

OK, so I am again cheating as it is 01 October in Australia, but in the US whilst I am writing it is still 30 September

Went for a run (20 mins / 3.50 km), and the usual 30 push ups, 30 sit ups, 30 squats, and some nice solid stretching to keep limber.

Always hard to get up and exercise and always good to finish feeling good.

Starting to get some energy back now that I am off chemo and the appetite has returned. Now to get my distance back up to something a little longer so that I can feel like my old self.

What has everyone else been up to?

[raym]

I walk around the hospital floor four times a day hard to be stuck in here while the weather has been so great. hoping to get out of here and back to the gym!

[nitebreez]

Hey,...
You guys sound so active!!! I guess I'm pretty active and exercising for me. That's because I'm a teeny tiny little 68 yo grandma (barely 4 foot 11 inches,...and about 115 lbs. I go on looooong walks as often as I can (mostly 5 and 6 mile walks). And do a lot with my two very active and hyper grandkids. I also do isometric exercises quite often (mostly every day, or every other day). Starting to do some modified situps to help with this godawful lumpy scar stuff up my tummy from the surgeries. Gotta keep moooooooooving!

[raym]

Well after spending two weeks mostly laying in a hospital bed it's time to regain what I have lost! I'm amazed at how much aerobic capacity I lost during that time. This past Sunday my wife daughter and I went for a walk/hike at a local county park. I typically mountain bike these trails so it was quite a long walk. I way overestimated my endurance for that one..but in the end it was good for me. Last night I joined the local Livestrong at the YMCA work out session, did a light workout. Also back to work today full time.whew! During my recent hospital stay (pelvic abscess) a mass was discovered on a scan near an incision site from a previous surgery. I'm expecting some type of surgery for this in the next month or two (follow up not for 3 weeks), so I want to get in as best shape as I can to get in a better position for surgery and recovery.

[GrouseMan]

Yesterday morning for the first time since before my wife's surgery for her resection, the beginning of July, she decided to do a Run/Walk program on the treadmill. I think it was 5 miles she said. She wants to do a 5 K run with her sister and nieces in November, and she is using a workout schedule from Runner World I think called the Couch potato to 5 K. She has been getting good exercise over the last 6 weeks but nothing like she use to do prior to diagnosis. We have been doing multiple mile hikes in the woods, running our dogs on Grouse and woodcock so this takes us well off the beaten paths and into difficult to walk areas. So its a good work out. She use to train and run in 5K, 10K, half marathons and was working on training for a trail marathon when all this broke loose.

Anyway - She ran this treadmill program in the morning, and then got ready for her 5th round of FolFox (3rd with Avastin) a couple hours later. From there she drove to work. That evening we had an early supper and she had no nausea and ate well, then we went out grocery shopping. She crashed on the couch as usual maybe a little earlier with the normal fatigue she gets in the evening after the infusion. That may have also been due to the flu shot she got the day before as well. I have to say the steroids they give her prior to the infusion have never kept her wired and awake as some people have reported. She will likely run the treadmill tomorrow morning before she goes in to have the pump disconnected. I hope she sticks with this exercise. She must be feeling better I think.

Regards,

GrouseMan

[CRguy]

Wow all you folks are putting me to shame here .... just doing a daily 45 minute moving wrasslin' match with a 140 lb Bullmastiff ...
which I call "walking" my grandpuppy !

Just a quick FYI for those on chemo though, we had posted this in the past : active exercise can temporarily decrease your WBC ... SO if you get bloods taken close to an infusion, after heavy exercise, the docs may think you are too low for treatment ??????? just something to keep in mind.

Cheers all and keep pounding the pavement !
CRguy

(( PS I am waiting for BBagger to log in and tell us he rode to Finland and back, that is rode .... not rowed Eric !!!))

[kiwiinoz]

6 weeks post folfox and starting to feel good again. Exercise is starting to be enjoyable
Now up to 3.50 km in 21 minutes and my goal is to get up to 30 mins / 5km before my next meeting with my onc on 09 Dec (first CT scan post treatment on 03 Dec) so that I can happily tell him I am doing 30 mins of exercise 4 times a week.
I am doing stretches every morning along with some small weights, push ups, sit ups, and some great stretches that Juliej kindly gave me.
Getting closer to winter in the US / Canada, so how is everyone's exercise programme going?

A question for those who have had folfox. I have found that my neuropathy was getting worse so I was really struggling to do up buttons, put on cuff links, type etc. The last couple of times I have gone for a run I have had tingling in my hands and my feet and my neuropathy is starting to dissipate, or it could be my imagination. What sort of experience did everyone have with how long it took after folfox?

[Amy14760]

I signed up for a 5K next Saturday...and guilted my kids and husband into running it with me Since the weather is still pretty decent, I'm on my bike to and from work...about 16 kms total. And, since I just pimped out my bike with a new basket and other accessories it's really fun to drive. But, I can't say that I've ever rowed or rode to Finland.

[JudyM]

you guys are great! DH used to be very active, and walked every day. Now he doesn't have much energy. He did really well yesterday helping to mulch the leaves in the front yard - esp as it was only the day after the pump disconnect! Unfortunately he sleeps so much so he doesnt' get much. I got to thinking that I wish there was a program similar to cardiac rehab for oncology patients! I mentioned it to our nurse and she said our center has something. cool. So, this afternoon he has his first session/evaluation by PT. It's not a small group like cardiac rehab, it's one on one. but you can elect to do it on your own time at any of the 3 locations for $9mo. the 1 on 1 PT appts are covered by insurance. I'm hoping this will help build his stamina and maybe get some muscle back on him. and I think they said that I can work out with him too. that would be good.

[Phuong]

(( PS I am waiting for BBagger to log in and tell us he rode to Finland and back, that is rode .... not rowed Eric !!!))

Almost snorted coffee on this one. Thanks a lot CRguy!!!

I've managed to get my planking up to about 90 seconds, which is pretty good considering that 30 seconds absolutely destroyed me when I started back in the gym. I always felt a little silly lifting just the bar (even though it's 50 lbs) on bench press and squats, so I'm very pleased that I have started to add weights to the bar. Had a wicked workout on Saturday, so I'm definitely feeling it. Glad that my daughter has an away game in soccer so that I get the one extra day to recover!

[raym]

I'm slowing returning to some level of fitness after my recent hospital stay. This past weekend we did a family trip to the Finger Lakes in NY and we I did a nice hike at Watkins Glen State Park. 800+ steps up and down along the river gorge trail. The end was a lot of steep steps, had to stop a few times, but still felt good to get moving. I've been so tired it's been hard to work out, but when I do work out I feel better. Hoping to make it to the Y a few times this week to get some more workouts in.

[DBF]

Great thread! Well, it's officially six weeks since my liver resection, so I'm headed to the gym on Wednesday morning. We just joined this gym, and I get a free "orientation" with a trainer, so I have a 6:30 AM meeting with one of the trainers. 6:30 AM!!
I'm excited to get back to the gym- AND my baby (3 months now!) started sleeping from 10 PM to 5:30 AM, so I'm getting enough sleep at night that I have some gym energy left over!

Good luck to everyone with their workouts this month! I'm really hoping I can get into a good gym schedule, especially being on FOLFOX.

[kiwiinoz]

Hiya DBF
I found that the first 7 rounds of FOLFOX were doable, but that it got a little bit harder after that. I continued to exercise (mostly running) but that I started to get issues with Neuropathy in my feet that made it too painful.
Kiwi

[horizon]

I've managed to get my planking up to about 90 seconds, which is pretty good considering that 30 seconds absolutely destroyed me when I started back in the gym.

That's something I need to be doing. My core is really "blah".

[kiwiinoz]

I've managed to get my planking up to about 90 seconds, which is pretty good considering that 30 seconds absolutely destroyed me when I started back in the gym.

Phuong, I'm impressed. My planking starts to look like a soggy bit of cardboard after about the 45 second mark so you are making me feel bad.
Not sure what it is but I find exercise really addictive at the moment. We are having really bad wildfires (or whatever you call those bush fires) around Sydney and I had to run in the gym on the treadmill as the pollution levels were crazy due to all the smoke from the westerly winds pushing the smoke into Sydney. When I got up yesterday it looked like some of those photos you see of the bad pollution in China or somewhere.

The one thing that cancer has given me is a renewed appreciation of exercise. It makes me feel good, and gives me some feeling of control over this.

Kiwi