Guest Post by David Haas: The Power of Fitness for Cancer Survivors

Danielle and I are happy to have a guest post from David Haas. David has been recently exploring  and writing about how beneficial cancer support networks are to people going through treatments, in remission, and even family members of cancer patients (holler PMC!). Hope you all enjoy and Thank you David for your hard work!

The Power of Fitness for Cancer Survivors

Recent research suggests that exercise can have positive long-term health benefits for cancer patients following treatment. Cancer patients face many challenges during the recovery process and additional challenges post treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, adopting an exercise routine can help cancer patients gain renewed confidence and vitality.

There has long been evidence suggesting that a combination of exercise and diet may help prevent certain types of cancer. Now, there is evidence suggesting that a proper diet and sufficient exercise may prevent some cancers from returning. Even patients with a very rare and mostly terminal cancer such as mesothelioma may enjoy some benefits of regular fitness. People who are in better shape tend to have a longer mesothelioma life expectancy, and it has also shown that people’s bodies that are in good shape often handle treatment better.

Patients who did a lot of exercise prior to their diagnosis should continue to do so post-diagnosis. Even walking around can help a patient avoid blood clots in their legs. This is a common concern for patients who have spent a significant amount of time in bed while receiving initial treatment. Patients who did not exercise prior to their diagnosis may still benefit from light exercise such as walking or swimming. General benefits of regular exercise include increased energy, stronger bones and muscles, improved mood, added confidence, reduced fatigue and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Studies have shown that women with breast cancer who exercise after treatment live longer and have less recurrence. Similar results have been shown for people with colorectal cancer and lung cancer. Colleen Doyle, a nutrition expert for the American Cancer Society, contends that exercise has the same benefits for cancer survivors as it does for anybody else who follows a steady fitness routine. The following types of exercises have been shown to be good for patients following cancer treatment:

• Flexibility exercises such as stretching
• Aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming and jogging
• Resistance training such as light to moderate lifting

Patients should start exercising right after treatment if possible or possibly during treatment. Studies show that some patients tend to slow down their activity level following treatment. This may lead to bouts of depression and increased stress and fatigue. Patients should discuss any type of exercise routine with their doctor. Patients have reported feeling better with even mild to moderate exercise.

By: David Haas

No one ever said PMC riders could dance.

Well this is a new one.

DC posting: The morning started out smooth enough. Up at 3:30 and outside in time for the first bus... That NEVER came. Is it 2010 again!? Well no cause at least last year our missing bus showed up eventually (in fact last year's 30 minute delay doesn't sound so bad anymore). This time around our bus has legit gone rouge and the 50 some abandoned riders at our hotel have been forced to take cabs (!?!) to the starting line. Eeek! So much for getting up front with Lance. Guess we'll just have to catch up to him ;)
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PMC start line 2011

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Screw you, Cateye! (Product Review)

Well it was bound to happen eventually - last week my odometer battery konked out. In theory, this should be no big deal. In reality... it has turned into a nightmare!

After realizing my odometer was outta juice, I picked up a new battery and then promptly forgot all about it and my nonfunctional odometer. In fact, the problem completely slipped my mind until I rolled out of bed last Saturday morning to meet Les for a good ol' Quad Cycle group ride. With little time to spare, I threw the unopened battery in my bike bag and figured the always helpful Quad Cycle employees would be able to help me replace that bad boy no problem.

Ummm... not so much. As it turns out, my Cateye Strada odometer battery is locked behind the tiiiiiiiniest screws you've ever seen. They are SO tiny that Quad Cycles didn't have a small enough screwdriver to remove them, and I was forced to ride without any gauge of my speed or mileage... well, except for the updates I forced Les to give me every five seconds or so. What can I say - odometer withdrawal ain't pretty!!

Thankfully I made it through.... and then as soon as I got back to my apartment I AGAIN forgot all about this problem ! Until tonight that is - the night before we head to Sturbridge - when I was putting an emergency rain coat in my bike bag, and I saw it.... that goddamn unopened odometer battery ad;kgha;gdkh

So off I went to CVS to buy an eyeglasses repair kit - essentially the smallest screwdriver I could think of. Well ya know what, IT'S STILL NOT SMALL ENOUGH. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. I was finally forced to google this awful product only to find out that you need a "precision screwdriver" to remove the back panel.

What the hell is a precision screwdriver!?

I give up. At least for tonight, cause if you think I could survive this weekend's ride without a functional odometer, you're as stupid as the Cateye Strada.

Guess I'll just have to find a hardware store tomorrow morning and hope for the best.

In the meantime, I am giving this product a HUGE thumbs down - the Cateye Strada and its tiny screws have managed to screw me BIG time. Consider yourselves warned.

LiveStrong, StreamLive

As repeat readers of this blog know, PMC weekend starts before a single rider mounts her bike at the Sturbridge start line. Instead, the weekend kicks off Friday evening with an elaborate opening ceremony that reminds all of us - riders and donors alike - why we contribute to the PMC. This year, in addition to hearing from the PMC's founder, numerous cancer survivors and Dana Farber doctors and administrators, we'll also be joined by the infamous Lance Armstrong! Whether you love him or hate him, Lance is a dynamic addition to this year's ride, and someone who clearly understands the PMC mission, having himself overcome testicular cancer to become one of the world's most well-known cyclists.

Even though the opening ceremony unfolds in the middle of Massachusetts, everyone now has the chance to experience this powerful event thanks to WCVB's premier news magazine, Chronicle (Channel 5), which produces a one-hour show from the grounds right outside the Sturbridge Host Hotel.

So if you're looking for a way to join in on the PMC experience without having to attend even a single spin class, tune into www.thebostonchannel.com this Friday at 7pm for a live stream of the weekend's opening ceremony. And, of course, we'll be live blogging about the entire weekend right here on this site. So keep checking back and if you haven't already done so, please be sure to donate!!!

Tattoos and Cancer

Thanks to a dear friend (and cancer survivor/ass kicker) Lauren Alexanderson for finding this one:

The PMC is just 3 days away! Look for some upcoming guests posts concerning healthy lifestyles and cancer!

Bikes Vs. Babies

This past weekend, Les and I biked the MS Society's Cape Cod Getaway charity ride. After conquering 150 miles in 2 days, and helping our team - Velox Rota - collectively raise more than $100,000 for MS research and care, we should have been feeling pretty darn good. But for the second time, our rider's high was squashed by the MBTA's ridiculous no-bikes on the Green Line policy. Even though it was 10pm on a Sunday night, and Les had given every last ounce of energy she had to the ride, MBTA employees refused to let her on the T; forcing her to instead bike home in the dark with all her gear.

Enough is enough.

Since my (MANY) angry letters to the T have gone unanswered over the years, I have decided that it's time for a new approach. Maybe the idiots that made this policy will have an easier time understanding a graphical argument for allowing bikes on the Green Line...

Haircut for the Cure Update

Brian informed us that the mullet hawk won by 19 dollars with the deciding bid coming in 1 minute before the deadline. Brian raised 954$ for the PMC!

Looking good Brian!

Hair-ography

A facebook exchange took place on a recent family photo. My uncle comments about his lack of hair and questioned whether or not the photographer had “photoshop-ed”  it out. My mother [a beautiful Lymphoma ass kicker] responded with: “I learned a long time ago hair does not make the man, or for that matter the woman.”

True dat Mamma! You looked gorgeous sans hair!

Part II of this post also involves hair, or what will be lack of hair. A dear friend and amazing PMC supporter to both Danielle and I, Brian,  mentioned to me last night that he has started a contest of sorts at his office. This contest is titled “Haircut for the Cure”  and it involves his peers voting[with dollars $] on which 3 extreme styles Brian will have to sport for a certain amount of time. That time is based on the amount he raises: 200$ = 2 days, 300$=3days etc. Brain told me that his whole theory behind why this would work is that people [or his friends] would be willing to pay money to see him do something self-deprecating. [ha, actually very smart Brian!]

Brain, then went on to tell me that all the money he raises will be donated towards the PMC!!! [see, isn’t Brain smart and amazing?]

I am beyond grateful to Brian for his willingness to chop off those lascivious locks for the Pan Mass Challenge! So, Brian, just remember that hair doesn’t make the man!

OOOh and Bonnie says:

It's On.

With the fundraising emails out, the training blog revamped, and Monday spin class conquered, I’d say the 2011 training season is well underway! Actually, while it might be hard to tell from the blog (I promise, we’ll resume a regular posting schedule soon), we’ve been back on the saddle for the last few months.

Unfortunately, given this year’s record snowfall levels and excessively rainy Spring, our training so far has been confined to the spin room. But helping motivate us through the dreary weather have been a series of grueling 2 hour spin sessions with our bike team at the Porter Square Ballys.

Now for anyone who hasn’t experienced this particular gym, let me paint you a little picture: With no windows, all black walls, and an inhumane lack of anything that might promote air circulation, the Ballys' spin room is essentially a pit of despair. Throw 30 hardcore cyclists into the mix, and it doesn’t take long for all of the mirrors to fog up like some twisted, adult version of 7 minutes in heaven… except that it’s 2 hours in hell.

But hey, this kind of training is what will set us apart once we can finally get out on the road. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself to motivate through these torture sessions.

Thankfully, tonight’s class wasn’t quite as intense because on weekdays I spin at my normal gym, Healthworks, which is … um… a slightly different gym-going experience than Ballys. First of all, the spin room has three – count them, THREE – walls of windows that look out onto Porter Square. And, most importantly, the room has AC AND fans.

This. Is. Living.

But of course, what you gain in amenities at Healthworks, you lose in raw athleticism. In fact, the Monday instructor Jon has a habit of showing up a few minutes late and hopping on the bike while still wearing a white button down shirt from his day job. And while I’ll admit there’s something disturbingly sexy about a man on a bike wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tie (don’t judge me), it doesn’t exactly inspire a balls to the wall workout session.

That’s okay though. Every class can’t be a 2 hour torture session. NOR SHOULD IT BE.

The PMC is about a serious cause, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fun. So to make sure that doesn't get lost, we’ve cooked up some extremely fun new features for the blog (to match its snazzy new design). In the coming months you’ll see product reviews, bike maintenance videos, interviews with cancer survivors AND MORE.

So get pumped, and while you’re at it, get to donating!

Donate for Roger Ebert...

Cancer sucks.  Plain and simple, but upon watching this Im reminded of all those who overcome and make the best of what this disease lays upon them.
This TEDtalks is [per the usual] heart wrenching and inspiring. Take 20 minutes to watch and I guarantee this will make your day brighter.....
I have my legs. I have my voice. I have everything I need and everything I don't need.



link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/232234/tedtalks-roger-ebert-remaking-my-voice

PMC Landry's bike night...Oh Yes I did.

First off. There was free beer and shrimp! And off course I bought something...Check dez shitz out:

New shoes. Way to expensive! Seriously. I better never have to buy any other shoe ever. Can I wear these to work? they are pretty darn beautiful, and the price will be worth the comfort....right? Please tell me yes.
Specialized S-Works Rd

New helmet (which hopefully makes me look like much less of a goof ball mushroom)
Lazer Helmet (i still haven't found the lazer or laser component of it, but I'm betting it appears when I need it.. Like to take down asshole cars, or maybe it fills potholes with its super laser power? ya think? Yes!

Danielle couldn't make it (but our newest PMC recruit Katie (http://katiespmc.blogspot.com/) came!) So I had to text her some helmet advice...