Frequently Asked Questions

Why exercise?

The main reason to exercise is, in large part, to counter the effects of your treatment. You are in effect "treating the treatment".  The effects of an appropriate prescription will transfer into your activities of daily living (ADL) such as lifting groceries, driving a car or other vocational tasks. This will give you a feeling of increased control over your life.

When should I begin to exercise?

Your physician will tell you when it is safe to exercise. Thus said, many people wait too long to begin a program thereby prolonging their recovery. In this regard, avoid "waiting to get better, to get better".

What other exercises should I do?

The best exercise is the one that you will do consistently, be it walking, gardening or even housework. In general, however, I would supplement precriptive exericise with moderate activities such as walking 20 to 30 minutes a day at a conversational pace several times a week. In addition to countering the effects of fatigue, walking will manage any tendency to gain weight and will maintain bone density.

I am concerned about lymphedema.

Light resistance training does not cause lymphedema or make it worse. In fact, the muscular contractions due to exercise stimulate lymphatic flow. It has been estimated that the pumping action of both the surrounding skeletal muscles and respiratory muscles will help increase lymphatic flow by as much as 30 times. Exercise will also assist in the reduction of weight gain which is often associated with lymphedema.