Exercise: Yes We Can!

As blood cancer patients, we have all been told that exercise is good for us. We have all been advised that daily exercise is a good idea. But when living with a blood cancer diagnosis, the word exercise can also be quite intimidating. My goal is to help decrease those feelings of intimidation.

Feeling weak, but still need excercise

I have previously shared that during my first bout with hairy cell leukemia, I had become so weak that even walking from my bedroom to the kitchen wore me out. But despite the extremely low blood counts and the lethargy I felt, I knew I needed to find ways of incorporating exercise into my daily routine.

With a 30-year career in physical therapy, finding creative ways to incorporate exercise into the day-to-day was part of the job. The goal for many is function more than fitness.

Exercises for better function

My hope is that the suggestions listed here will cover the various needs and abilities each of us has. So keep in mind your own limitations, see if any of these feel doable for you, and make adjustments to suit your needs.  Any repetitive functional movement can increase endurance and strength.

• Squats: I find this exercise is easy to do while brushing teeth. Since I have an electric toothbrush, I do squats, lunges, sidestepping, etc until my toothbrush shuts off. But counting reps or doing as many as feels right is another option. Another way to incorporate squats is by picking up the laundry basket 5 times instead of once on laundry day.
• Sit to stand: When sitting a lot, I try to do at least 5 sit to stands on the hour. So when getting up to go to the bathroom, instead of standing once, I stand up 5 times. Other exercises that are easily incorporated into sitting are forward punches with the arms, knee extensions (repetitive straightening and bending the legs), alternate marching in place. When I’m feeling really strong, I sometimes do triceps dips off of the end of the chair. But an easier way to facilitate both arm and leg strengthening would be to sit in an armed chair and use both upper and lower extremities to push up.
• Walking: Since we all have varied abilities with how far we are able to walk, I recommend starting with a distance you know you can do and add on from there depending on your energy level. If you know you can make at least 2 trips around your dining table, commit to doing at least that much. If you can make 2 city blocks, do that. There is a park near my house that has a walking track. On my strong days, I walk to the park, walk the path and walk home. On my weaker days, I drive to the park, walk what I can and drive home. Every day doesn’t need to look the same. Simply do what you can.
• Wall push ups: Doing push ups from the floor often feels like too much. But doing them facing the wall or off the edge of the countertop can feel much more manageable.  Consistently doing even just 5 of them can improve strength and posture. The weight bearing through the arms also provides great neurological feedback to the brain, which helps with balance and equilibrium.

How I stick to a routine

I find that I stick to a routine when I map out a weekly plan. An example might be:

• 20 minutes walking Monday, Wednesday, Friday
• 20 squats daily, spaced out in any way
• 10 wall push ups Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
• 5 sit to stands 3x/day
• Stretching nightly before bed

Checking off successes

Of course, these can be adjusted to ability and can include a variety of exercises. I like to write them on a calendar and check them off. It keeps me motivated to have a visual of what I have accomplished. During treatment, I also kept a journal of how I felt each day and how easy or difficult it was to exercise.

You may wonder what is the best exercise for you? Any expert would agree that the best exercise is the one you will actually do. So be creative, stay committed to yourself, and honor your limitations. Even the smallest movements are beneficial. And always remember to celebrate every victory, no matter how small.