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Easy Activities to Help You Get into a Workout Routine

August 16, 2016 by

 

Getting into a workout routine isn’t the easiest thing to do.

And it’s even harder if you’ve been put on medical rest due to an illness or injury.

The good news, however, is that it’s easy to take baby steps to get yourself back into an exercise routine.

There are many activities you can do in your home, outdoors, or at a community gym to help you build up your stamina again.

So we’d like to share some of our favorite activities with you to get you started with a new workout routine.

Before we begin, we’d like to remind you to check with your physician before you begin a new workout program.

This is especially important if you’ve had surgery or a serious illness such as cancer.

Walking

Walking is a great activity for so many reasons.

When you walk on a regular basis it helps improve blood circulation, strengthens muscles and joints, and helps you maintain a healthy weight.

The best part is that you can do it virtually anywhere.

Take a walk around your neighborhood, do a few laps around your home, or jump on a treadmill at your gym.

Start by walking small distances. As your body gets stronger and builds endurance, increase your distances.

Make walking more fun by bringing a friend along. What a great way to exercise and catch up on each other’s lives at the same time!

Swimming

Swimming is a wonderful activity and is very refreshing on a hot day. This activity is great for heart health—it’s by far one of the best cardio activities you can do besides running.

And when you swim, you are working all of your muscles and getting a full body workout.

This activity is perfect for people who are healing from injuries or those who can’t put a ton of stress on the body.

The reason… it’s one of the lowest impact exercises you can do.

Many gyms or community centers such as the YMCA have pools you can access for a small fee.

Better yet, find a friend or family member with a pool and schedule a swimming date!

Yoga

Yoga is all the rave almost everywhere. So why not give it a try?

Especially because it’s been proven to help keep you flexible, build muscle, drop blood pressure, and regulate your adrenal glands.

This activity is great because it allows you to start slow and move at your own pace. As time goes on, you’ll build endurance and progress to more advanced yoga techniques.

Many gyms and fitness centers offer yoga classes for beginners. You can also find yoga videos in stores or on YouTube to do at home.

All of these activities are fun, come with valuable health benefits, and will put you on the path to becoming a stronger and healthier individual.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a friend, and with your doctor’s permission, get going!

What’s your favorite exercise activity?

Comment below!

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Finding Beauty after Breast Cancer

July 12, 2016 by

 

Chances are you’ve heard the saying, “Beauty is more than skin deep.”

It’s a phrase that we hope you take to heart; however, we know that uncontrollable life circumstances, such as a battle with breast cancer, can affect the way you view yourself.

This is especially true for women after a mastectomy.

It’s no secret that many women find it difficult to cope with the major physical changes that occur after this type of surgery.

Changes that, unfortunately, can lead to a negative body image and a decreased sense of personal beauty.

We here at The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction want to remind you that no matter what has happened in your life, you are a strong, powerful, and beautiful woman.

Beauty IS more than skin deep.

We hope you don’t ever forget the following qualities that make you beautiful both inside and out.

Personality

One of the most attractive qualities a woman can have is a fun, kind, loving, and positive personality.

Show the world how beautiful you are by the way you act, speak, and relate to others. Just be you, and your radiance will certainly shine through.

Put your positivity into action.

For the next 7 days, write down the things in your life that you’re most grateful for.

This list can include things like family, friends, pets, and hobbies. Reflect on those things every day.

Hobbies/Skills

Everyone is given special gifts and talents to share.

These gifts make you special and unlike anyone else in the universe.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a wonderful cook, a talented musician, or work well with children.

You can use these gifts to make a beautiful impact on someone else’s life.

What talents or skills have you been blessed with? List them out.

Now think about the things you’ve been able to accomplish because of those gifts.

Start a journal and write about your accomplishments on a daily basis.

It’s also fun to think about how you can impact someone else with your talents.

Can you cook someone in need a meal, help tutor a child in school, or simply be a compassionate friend to someone in need?

Write down a list of how you can use your gifts to brighten someone else’s day.

Relationships

You can always find true beauty in the relationships you build with others.

Don’t forget to look around at all of your friends and family who love and support you. They surely see beauty when they look back at you.

Quality relationships take time and effort. If you’re able to, plan time during your week to get together with the ones you love.

Go out to lunch, take a walk, or go grab coffee. If you’re unable to go out, pick up the phone, or write a handwritten thank-you card to show someone how much he or she is appreciated.

What qualities do you think makes a woman beautiful? Share them below!

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5 Cancer-Fighting Foods

July 5, 2016 by

If you’ve had cancer, or know someone who has, you understand the importance of nurturing and protecting the body from developing this horrible disease.

While there isn’t yet a foolproof method to prevent cancer, you can make lifestyle changes to keep your body healthier.

We suggest starting with your diet and add cancer-fighting foods into your daily meal plan.

Eating these foods will not only help decrease your risk of cancer, but will also give you the energy and strength to look and feel better as you go throughout your day.

Here are 5 cancer-fighting foods that we recommend to add into your diet.

Steamed Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the most powerful foods for cancer prevention.

It has a sizable amount of sulforaphane, a particularly potent compound that boosts the body’s protective enzymes and flushes out cancer-causing chemicals.

Add steamed or raw broccoli into salads, pasta dishes, or sprinkle on top of pizza.

Blackberries

Blackberries make a sweet and delicious snack.

While all berries are packed with cancer-fighting phytonutrients, blackberries stand out because they contain very high concentrations of phytochemicals called anthocyanins.

These anthocyanins slow down the growth of premalignant cells and keep new blood vessels from forming, which could potentially feed a cancerous tumor.

Blackberries taste great picked fresh off the plant, in fruit salads, or in cobblers.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a fantastic source of lycopene.

This is what gives a tomato its red color. Lycopene has also been known to stop endometrial cancer cell growth.

Slice up a fresh tomato to munch on, add it into salads, or enjoy tomato sauce on pasta and pizza.

Garlic

Many people use garlic as a spice to flavor food.

It’s a good thing because the phytochemicals in garlic have been proven to halt the formation of nitrosamines, which are carcinogens formed in the stomach.

Garlic is delicious when used to flavor meats and veggies.

Black Beans

Black beans are in the legume family.

When you eat them, you increase the levels of the fatty acid butyrate, which in high concentrations has protective effects against cancer growth.

Use black beans as a simple side dish, or incorporate them into burritos or rice dishes.

What are your favorite cancer-fighting foods? Comment below!

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Can Breast Reconstruction Improve A Woman’s Psychological and Sexual Wellbeing?

October 21, 2011 by

DIEP flapIn a recent article, titled Advanced Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction Improves Women’s Psychosocial and Sexual Wellbeing, by CANCER Online Journal, a study found that “After a mastectomy, women who undergo breast reconstruction with tissue from their own abdomen experience significant gains in psychological, social, and sexual wellbeing as soon as three weeks after surgery.” (CANCER Online Journal: http://www.canceronlinejournal.com/newsroom)

The study was performed by Toni Zhong, MD, MHS, of the University Health Network Breast Restoration Program in collaboration with several others at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. They surveyed 51 women who were preparing for their MS-TRAM or DIEP flap reconstructive surgery during the months between June 2009 and November 2010.

Breast reconstruction is restoring the form of a breast that has been damaged, partially removed, or completely removed. Breast reconstruction is almost always done after treatment for breast cancer, although there are some birth defects that can result in the need for breast reconstruction. Breast reconstruction can be performed with implants (the same ones used for breast augmentation), or with the body’s own excess tissue (usually from the abdomen or buttocks), thus avoiding the need to place foreign objects in the body.

The study found that these women who experienced breast reconstruction “reported significant improvements in psychological, social, and sexual wellbeing just three weeks after surgery,” according to the article.

Although The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction has not performed a formal study on the feelings that patients experience post breast reconstructive surgery, we have found that many of them feel a sense of improved psyche and self-esteem. Just ask Leslie Haywood who underwent breast reconstruction with the Charleston breast surgeons of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction: “I have never been happier with my body and I have never been more in shape in my entire life!”

If you know of someone who would be interested in hearing about this study, visit the CANCER Online Journal newsroom where the article will soon publish to: http://www.canceronlinejournal.com/newsroom

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Important Self-Exams Every Woman Should Perform

June 1, 2011 by

Image to the left taken from Cancer.org.

 

Self-exams help you to detect changes in your body between visits to your doctor. Many lives have been saved due to diligent self-examination, and following are two self-exams you’ll want to perform regularly.

BSE or breast self-exam

Each woman has her own method of examining her breasts. Some do a systematic BSE monthly or bimonthly, while others keep an eye on their breasts by regularly feeling them in the shower or while lying in bed. Often, women ask their significant others to help them check, or they visit the doctor several times a year for a clinical exam.

While a regular BSE with a consistent technique is best, perfect technique is not as important as frequency and diligence. Sometimes, women stress needlessly about doing it correctly. As long as you feel the entire breast and overlap your motions, you’re doing it right. The goal of a BSE is to know what is normal for you and check for changes.

If you’re not sure whether you’re feeling the entire breast, cancer.org suggests the following BSE routine:

  • Lie down and bend your arm behind your head to spread the breast tissue evenly over your chest, making it easier to examine.
  • Imagine your breast is divided in vertical lines from your underarm to breastbone, and use the finger pads of your other hand to feel for lumps in an up-and-down pattern along those lines. Move in dime-sized circles, slightly overlapping the previous line as you move up and down.
  • Use different levels of pressure at each spot so you feel all the breast tissue, especially if you have large breasts. You can feel the tissue close to the skin with light pressure, tissue in the upper half of the breast with medium pressure, and lower breast tissue with deeper pressure. There will be a ridge at the bottom of each breast, which is normal. If you have questions about pressure, talk with your doctor or nurse.
  • Examine the entire breast area, and then repeat the exam on your other breast.
  • Stand in front of a mirror, press your hands on your hips, and look at your breasts for changes in shape or size. Also look for rashes, redness, or dimpling.
  • Raise each arm slightly, and feel the underarm for lumps.

Some women may find it easier to examine their breasts in the shower, which is fine, as long as you are thorough—or add this routine to your shower exam. Current medical literature suggests that the above procedure is the most effective for finding lumps as soon as possible.

Skin exam

A regular skin exam will help you keep an eye on moles, freckles, and other spots that could become cancerous. It should be done at least once a month, and if you ask your doctor to do a full-body exam first, you’ll have a baseline. While it may sound daunting, after you’ve done a full skin exam a couple of times, it shouldn’t take more than 10–15 minutes.

Warning signs of skin cancer include a change in an existing mole or spot, or any growth or spot that . . .

  • Appears during adulthood.
  • Increases in size or thickness.
  • Changes in texture or in color—especially if it turns pearly, multicolored, brown, or black.
  • Has an irregular shape or outline.
  • Is bigger than a pencil eraser.
  • Continues to hurt, itch, scab, or bleed longer than three weeks.

If you see any of these signs, don’t wait or hope it goes away. See a doctor, preferably a dermatologist.

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