Rowing and yoga might not be the most common cancer treatments, but now patients at the Huntsman Cancer Institute are doing these kinds of activities as part of a new wellness program designed to aid patients with physical and emotional recovery.
Several of the programs offered are already up and running, including a fitness program that includes a personalized work-out plan with personal trainers, yoga classes and a rowing club during the spring months.
“It’s like a floating support group for the cancer survivors; the emotional aspects of recovery are equally as important as the physical,” said Janet Bloch, coordinator of the Breast Cancer Program.
The wellness program is important to recovering cancer patients because studies have shown that maintaining a healthy lifestyle after cancer treatment could possibly help reduce the likeliness of a reoccurrence, Bloch said.
“It is nice to have friends to share concerns and hopes with and who share the same feelings, thoughts and goals,” said Lisa Cannon-Albright, a participant in the wellness program who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.
Cannon-Albright started the rowing program one year after her last radiation treatment.
“I have been pretty fatigued from chemo; this has helped me focus on getting myself back to the best health that I can,” she said.
The other physical activity the wellness program focuses on is providing an exercise regimen as part of recovering cancer patients’ fitness programs.
The fitness program’s staff meets with patients individually two or three times a week, and after assessing each patient for their levels of endurance, strength, balance and flexibility, the trainers develop a “fitness prescription” for the patient.
“The trainers know where I am in my recovery, so they’re not (as) over the top or aggressive as personal trainers at a gym can be,” said Laurie Parsons, a breast cancer survivor who was originally diagnosed with cancer in March 2005.
Because fitness is important for general health and especially for building up strength after harsh treatments like chemotherapy, every fitness prescription is designed to cater to the individual needs of a patient.
“So often the medical community gives patients lip service about needing to exercise,” Parsons said. “This program is treating the whole person instead of treating your illness and then leaving you on your own for the rest.”
Bloch said she hopes the wellness program will provide more information about when is the right time to start exercising and becoming more physically active after cancer treatments. The program is cutting edge, and program coordinators hope to minimize the side effects of treatment to help patients bounce back quicker, Bloch said.
“The program helps me to engage my immune system and not stress it, and it has helped me feel back on track,” Parsons said. “It’s nice to have so much support.”
