Exercise Helps Me Feel in Control While Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer

If you’re anything like me, you’ve learned to be careful talking about diet and exercise and life with cancer. So many people want a simple “fix” for what we live with, and sometimes that means those of us living with cancer get bombarded with unhelpful — or dangerous — advice that faults the patient for something she did or did not do in the past, usually including some form of body or diet shaming.

Still, there is a growing body of actual scientific research that indicates diet and exercise may reduce cancer risk and may even affect cancer progression. Promising as it is, that research is not yet at a point where specific diets and amounts of exercise are known, and it is often done within a narrow population — for example, early-stage, hormone-receptor positive breast cancer — that cannot be applied to everyone diagnosed with breast cancer of any type or stage.

Just like we have treatments targeted to our cancer subtypes, it is possible that lifestyle “treatments” will also need to be targeted.

My own experience with a diet and exercise research intervention for those living with metastatic breast cancer has been exciting, especially since far too often this type of research specifically excludes people living with advanced cancer. At the suggestion of my oncologist, I contacted the researchers of the Everyday Counts project, who have expanded the program to my own cancer center. The intervention arm includes weekly consulting with a physical therapist for exercise and dietary changes that are not extreme. You don’t cut anything out of your life; you add to it with vegetables and fruits, whole grains, exercise, and guidance around common stumbling blocks in “getting healthy.”

This research is looking at many things related to metastatic breast cancer and quality of life. What most interests me is improving my ability to move. I have been concerned for years about what will happen if I am lucky enough to grow old with stage 4 cancer: Will my muscles weaken too much, will my joints be able to age, will neuropathy brought on by chemotherapy make it so I will need a cane early, and so on? I’m a believer in controlling what you can control when it comes to cancer, and I also believe that giving patients something to control is part of the equation. Let’s just say this research was practically designed for me.

I have now been in the program for about 40 weeks. I have not lost weight (sigh), but because they do repeat Dexa scans and physical challenge tests, I know that my body has changed. I have added light but frequent strength training and rarely skip either walks or bike rides for cardio. After an initial drop in bone density during the program, due to an unrelated injury that kept me pretty limited for several months, my bone density has rebounded, and the muscle-to-fat ratio continues to improve.

I have been living with stage 4 cancer for nearly 11 years, and though I have been undeniably lucky to respond well to treatment, I have many of the issues that others face. So, I was very motivated to see the improvement on not just Dexa but also in the physical fitness tests I’ve done as part of the program.

My experience has been a reminder that we don’t know what we can do until we try. Living with cancer is a heavy weight to carry; too often, it is easy to forget that things within our control can lighten the load and help us feel like our lives are our own. For me, one of those things is movement, and I am grateful that research is catching up to what I and many other metastatic patients have found to be true.

To be clear, the program is guided and not unreasonably strenuous. The motivation and follow-through fell on me, as did my decision to adapt some exercises for my own body. Just like with diets, exercise has to suit the person doing it. What keeps me going may not work for you, and what is safe for me may not be okay for you. It’s never a good idea to start exercising without checking first with your healthcare team.

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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