Marion's blog 15th June 2020

This doesn’t mean that you have to rush off to the gym – but it does mean that you have to get your daily activity to a decent level. Now, of course, a lot depends on what you do already. If you regularly run 10k, go for a bike ride every day and think nothing of lifting weights – then you are probably OK. But if you spend most of your day sitting down, drive to the local shops and don’t know what resistance work is then now is the time to change all that.

The best place to start is just by going for a walk. Walk briskly and get your heart rate up. How far should you go? Well, you need to be the judge of that. If you have a smart phone you can download a free app to measure your steps. We are all encouraged to aim for 10k steps a day and yes, I know that there is no research behind that number – but as Bill Bryson says in his book ‘The Body’ – it seems to work well. You can’t go from a few hundred steps to 10k in a week. But you can make a start.

Once you start treatment or have surgery you might find that you spend more time then you usually do sitting about so it’s important that you start with the best muscle strength you can manage. Sitting about causes loss of muscle mass so it pays to start strong. Getting up and about after surgery will be so much easier if you have built up your strength. Walking briskly improves your lung and cardiac function and you certainly want them to be the best possible before you have surgery or treatment. You can easily do some weight work with a couple of water bottles – just follow the video for some ideas.

Please also make a really big effort to stop smoking and drinking excess alcohol. I know it feels like you need a cigarette and a drink to help you cope – but your body has enough to deal with – the last thing it wants is to have to do is clear tobacco smoke from your lungs and alcohol from your liver.

Now is a great time to think about what you eat. If you make some changes whilst you are waiting then it will be easy to continue with them after your surgery and during your treatment. Aim to keep your simple carbs down (that’s cakes, sweets, biscuits, white bread, white rice, white pasta and chocolate). I am really not being a misery – it’s just more ‘stuff’ that your body doesn’t need. Simple carbs make the body work hard to produce insulin and exhaust you with the constant blood glucose swings.

Focus on getting enough protein (eggs, milk, fish, some red meat, broccoli, nuts) and complex carbs such as oats, brown bread with plenty of seeds, lentils and whole grains. Keep on with the fruit and veg and drink plenty of water. It’s a good time to cut down on the caffeine too as it can easily make you feel even more anxious. 

Now is the time to reach out for help dealing with the emotions that are constantly running through your head. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help – its sensible and necessary. Phone your GP, your treatment team or one of the charities such as Macmillan or the Big C - they are great at ‘being there’ and understanding the stress that you are experiencing.

Having any sort of treatment for cancer can be frightening and can stir up anxiety and depression. This is perfectly normal and seeking help is another way of getting yourself stronger and keeping strong while you cope with cancer. There are many people who are specially trained and very skilled at helping people to navigate their way through the maze of cancer – view your mental health in the same way as you view your physical health – building resilience and building muscle are both ways of keeping going.