The Move More pack is great - helped to get me going after months of activity as advised by medics etc!  There are plenty of tips and an activity diary for you to record what you've done and help you set goals to increase and build up your activity levels at you own speed and strength!

I went from doing nothing to walking the dog daily, swimming twice a week and (gently) using the Wii every morning - half killed me at first, but built it up slowly and gently each week and felt so much the better for it!

Had set backs of course, but again the pack & diary helps to regroup and get yourself going again - I'd recommend it to everyone!

Started regular walks a year ago, and gradually built up speed (though don't run) and distance. I still struggle with slopes, but otherwise feel better.

It 's easy to say that you don't feel like it one day, because its too cold/damp etc, but I set myself the task of raising money for Cancer Research and did 5K walk (Race for Life). So many people had been so generous that I could not back out. I struggled for the last kilometre or so, and was in pain when i finished, but felt a great sense of achievement, and it also contributed to me gaining back some independence and helped my mental health

i couldn't manage to do any exercise during treatment or for a while afterwards which i found quite frustrating with all this talk of move more etc and it did make me feel a bit inadequate! All these images of people running marathons and sky diving etc left me wanting to swear! For a long time, 5 or 10 min normal walking would have me out of breath and dizzy. I still look at your list above and think you must be joking! Running, pounding treadmills etc phew... fat chance! I also have a prolapsed stoma and have been told not to lift anything at all or stretch so exercise was a tricky one for me yet here was the report saying it would increase your chances of the cancer not coming back too... eeek!

Howver....

I love swimming and have always found it relaxing and destressing. Once my RT burns had healed and chemo lack of immunity going etc I dared to go swimming with my bag and burns and scars etc and the first time I went, i thought I was going to faint and i felt so rubbish at how far away I was from my 'old' self. After coming home and bursting into tears at where had the 'dolphin' gone..., i picked myself up (with some encouragement from my mac mates!!) and persisted and now go 2-3 times a week. i still get overtaken by grannies and daren't even go to the lane sessions, but it has helped my fatigue a lot and I really notice the difference if I don't go. I get more energy for the other days if I go for a swim. Still can't run even if a bus was coming :D but I can swim slowly and steadily and I would recommend persevering at whatever you can do and don't feel bad if you can't go hiking and running etc. I am planning after my operation in March to join a gym when I can lift again...

Little My

I agree with what Little My says about how frustrating it is to hear about the marathon runners, those who have hiked up Macchu Picchu etc. These people are a small minority, and also may not have gone through as much treatment. When I said that I still had trouble getting about without getting breathless 18 months after treatment my consultant told me that I was putting too much pressure on myself. Once I started doing a little, and more often, I found that I did get a sense of achievement, and because i wasn't comparing with others I found I was less depressed about how I was. Sometimes we have to accept that we will never be the same person.

There are also other issues to be addressed apart from exercise....body image, self-worth, and maybe having an early retirement (which also coincided with the last of my children leaving home). Some have had to cope with relationship breakdown, or perhaps there has been a shift in the balance of the relationship. Friends may have moved on while your life has been put on hold. Emotional issues were a bigger problem to deal with in my case, and I think with many people who come on this site.

My exercise routine is daily with one - two hours doing step ups on my wii, it can be done at anytime of the day, but always do at least 20 mins a session otherwise not worth doing.  It has been of great benefit both in mind and body.  Its not costing anything and depending on how you feel you can adjust it to your needs, even doing just some of the balance games all helps to keep us fit.  I find once on it I always make the attempt to try to do as much as possible, its all good fun as well as keeping us fit. 

Janbe

I kept as active as I could during my chemo and RT, running and playing football as I had done before. Due RT burns and the lack of energy I had to stop both of them which I very much missed, but I tried to go for short walks. About a month after treatment had finished I was back playing footy.

The operation I had to remove a rectal tumour and have an ileostomy was much tougher to get over than I thought, and I had lots of pain and a few complications. As you can imagine to begin with walking much more than round the house was a challenge but after a few weeks I started to walk further afield. I kept a diary and managed to add 5 mins every day and before I knew it had done 90 mins!

It took me a while to get back to football, about 5 months but now play again every week, I get out fishing which can involve me getting out of breath ( I carry far to much fishing tackle sometimes quite a long distance!). I find keeping the garden up together also good excersize as well as walking to the pub!

Tight Lines

Tim

Oh dear! All these confessions put me to shame!

My biggest shock on receiving the move more pack was when the packet of seeds fell out. Plants don't like me and no matter how much care I take in looking after them they die!

I am reasonably active, anyway, parking away from the shops and walking, often involving hills. I play bowls, but last year I had to give up for the summer because of treatment, and the effect this had on me mentally. I am looking forward to the summer season!

My son and daughter in law are planning to walk the Offa's Dyke footpath this year, being sponsored for charity. This will take them a fortnight and Iwould have liked to accompany them on one stretch, but at 74 with two artificial knees thought I should check with my doctor.

The visit was a disaster! There was confusion over whose appointment it was and it was only my terrified face when he looked at the computer and announced that I had cancer of the vocal chords ( I had prostate cancer), that he realised I was the wrong patient. Checking my real history he advised just a short stroll along the canal to feed the ducks. I was already walking around the block! I live at the top of a steep hill. and around the block means a descent and ascent of hills with a total distance of 1.5 miles. Tough at first but getting easier.

My family have been encouraging me and I have some new walking boots which makes the walking seem easier! They have bought me books with graded local walks; I'm not sure about the three peaks in the Brecon Beacons!

I would love to be able to swim and am a little jealous of anyone who claims to swim like a dolphin! Thought I might check out the local baths for swimming lessons for centenarians, but haven't plucked up the courage yet!

Colin

Hi,

Personally I like running. But a good friend of mine got heavily into cycling during and after treatment. I think that taking up a new form of excercise helps take your mind off of things. A new interest is always a good distraction.

Cheers

Karl

hi all, i find exercise quite hard my hubby and i try to get out for at least 1hr a day walking but im a lot of pain when finished. i have secondary cancer in the big bone onthe upper left leg. i've had a metal post inserted into the bone to stop it from snapping as the cancer has eaten away at about 4ins of the bone. i also have a frozen shoulder as i've had surgery 4 times on the same side and drs agree the skin is so tight under my arm for me to be able to stetch it out .so if anyone has some advice for me i would appreciate it as i need to loose a bit of wieght and im so tired all the time. i go for a zometre treatment every 4 weeks which will continue for the rest of my life.

Hi everyone,

First off, a massive THANK YOU for sharing your exercise experiences with me - they have been very interesting to read.

Many of you might remember when the lovely Solent Lady took part in our Move More campaign last year, and blogged about her exercising experience.  You can read how she got on by clicking on the below links:

http://community.macmillan.org.uk/blogs/b/community_news/archive/2011/09/09/solent-lady-s-fitness-blog-part-1.aspx

http://community.macmillan.org.uk/blogs/b/community_news/archive/2011/10/10/solent-lady-s-fitness-blog-part-2.aspx

http://community.macmillan.org.uk/blogs/b/community_news/archive/2011/10/27/solent-lady-s-fitness-blog-part-3.aspx

We are now looking for two people (1 man, 1 woman) to don their trainers, take part this year's campaign and blog about their experiences with the community. You don't have to be the fittest person on the planet or train for a marathon; regular moderate exercise is a great way to keep your body fit, your heart healthy and your spirits high.  If you're already doing this or you like the idea of starting (could be anything from walking to the local shop, walking the dog, gardening, swimming, whatever you can do that gets you moving), why not be our next Move More blogger?

If you're interested in taking part, email me at community@macmillan.org.uk and say 'I'm interested!'

If you'd like more information about Move More and how physical exercise can help you, please visit the link below:

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Livingwithandaftercancer/Physicalactivity/Physicalactivity.aspx

Entries close at 4pm next Thursday and I'll be choosing the two lucky people next Friday afternoon.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Melissa x