Just wondered if anyone exercises at the gym who has bone mets.
I have mets in hips,pelvis,sternum and spread to axilla.I do feel better although totally exhausted at the end, when I do exercise at the gym.I would prefer to walk, but now have arthritis in my ankle and knees,so find this a bit limited on the distance I can walk.The problem is I am unsure which machines are safe to use.At the moment I tend to stick with the cross trainer,although I avoid involving any use with my right arm due to the lump in my armpit.
My knees do however feel better after a 10 minute stint of exercise.
An interesting question and something I have been considering too!
I know that my hormone induced weight gain is getting me down and my fitness levels have also decreased along with it. I am also considering what I can do. I mentioned it to my orthopaedic consultant and she said swimming is best for me, although a gentle swim, so not sure how many calories that would burn up! I have been told definately NO to running or any jumping, striding heavily that could cause my hip to fracture.
I have been thinking about joining a gym (but can’t afford it at the moment!) and would probably ask for a personal trainer, to develop an exercise program for me. I assume exercises in which your weight is supported e.g. using exercise balls, toning tables etc shouldn’t do too much harm, but I guess that as we all have bone mets in different places a program would have to be individualised.
Good luck, I am still trying to find the motivation to get started!
Sounds to me like advice from a physio wouldn’t go amiss. But probably need a specialist physio who has some understanding of this area. I think a sensible personal trainer would probably defer to the advice of a physio.
Has anyone out there any experience of this? Are there physios on oncology teams? Maybe there aren’t and there should be!
in somerset there is a referral from GPs that can be made to the gym, giving you very reduced rates. this might be worth exploring for some people. I have joned the gym twice under this scheme and failed - lose the motivation after just a few weeks. I have spoken to both my GP and my oncologist about my weight gain.
I now have a Wii fit which is helping me to excercise for a small amount every day, but is gradually increasing my fitness levels. I am not losing much weight sadly, even though I am trying to stick to healthy foods! but I do feel better and because I sadly like computer games, I have the motivation!
thanks all for your advice.My son did ask his physio but he did not have any experience of bone mets,as previously suggested I think maybe there should be advice from hospitals.
Luckily I have a gym on site where I live and membership is part of the maintenance fees, so I have no excuse really.Sadly there are no trainers.There is also a swimming pool but I have not been able to use this as my skin is still suffering from exstensive radiotherapy treatment.
For the time being I will just set the cross trainer to the lowest and just do 5 minute stints.I tried a walk along the seafront yesterday but soon had to give up because of the poor old knees!
I started Pilates classes again at the beginning of January, I haven’t been since I stopped due to back ache that turned out to be secondaries. I am really enjoying it and finding it very beneficial for increasing my flexibility and strength. I would recommend it to anyone if you have a class near by. My Onc is perfectly happy with me doing this, I also cycle and walk but make sure that I rest too.
Hello,
I tried all over the place to get some basic advice on excercise, there isn’t much - you need to find someone who understands both different kinds of cancer and different kinds of exercise, and they seem to be a rare animal. My GP said no impact-creating exercise but he thought pilates ‘quite gentle’ (he’s obviously never done it!!). I do/did do pilates (have just given it up for a bit due to treatment)and really enjoyed it, I just didn’t do the more extreme movements and my instructor was/is very good and always offered alternatives for those who found certain things difficult. I plan to go back to it when my current treatment is over but my back had become too painful to carry on for now. Likewise I have been swimming and doing aqua aerobics, these are good as the water supports you so you get a good workout without impact. That too has stopped for the moment. I am still managing tai chi - I look forward to this all the week so hope to maintain that even if a bit spasmodically. It’s slow, controlled, and the concentration required takes your head into another place which is very helpful.