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Exercise to Beat Cancer
November 20, 2009 |
Four days a week. An hour at a time. Eighty-one year old Helen Thompson never misses
an exercise session. “I feel you are never too old and to keep active,“ she says.
Helen works out at the Lee Center for Rehabilitation and Wellness and has for the
past 13 years.
But one thing did slow her down, temporarily. “Oon an exam, on a colonoscopy, they
found I had colon cancer.” Helen learned it was stage 3.
She admits she was not feeling 100% at the time of the diagnosis, but she didn’t
stay that way for long. “I feel as though my body was in such good shape. I took
myself to chemo and to radiation and I came home and I did it all by myself. I think
the reason I did so well is because I was active. I never stopped walking.”
“She came back very strong. Got right back into her routine. Didn’t take long at
all,” says exercise physiologist, Kathy Gardner
with the Lee Center for Rehabilitation
and Wellness.
She says
it’s important for older Americans to stay active. “We
have several members
at our facilities here in their 90s that are just as fit as some of our younger
members, even more fit than our younger members, they credit that to coming here
on a regular, consistent basis,” says Gardner.
While Helen has not yet been declared completely cancer-free, her physicians feel
she is well on her way. She credits her active lifestyle for helping her overcome
her health struggles. “I give God credit for the healing of my body but He wants
us to take care of our bodies and that’s what I try to do. I love it.”
Fitness experts say a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training several
times a week are good for the young and old. As always, talk to your physician about
the best plan to meet your personal needs.
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