[Lien]

And one of the things that seem to influence our risk of recurrence is exercise. It's cheap, it's good for our overall health and it makes us feel better. Oh, and I was in a trial studying its effect on hot flashes. It really made a difference. It seems that by exercising we "reset" our internal thermostat. And strength training and running have a beneficial effect on bone density. Did you know that skipping rope for 5 minutes a day can improve your bone health?

If we can manage to do 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week, cranking up our heartrate to 75 % of our maximum, hot flashes all but disappear and our chances of disease free survival get better.

Now, the hard part is getting started. So find someone to do some exercise with, so you don't have to do it alone and get going.

And this doesn't mean you have to go jogging every day. I ran 3 nights a week, and got on my bike in stead of in my car twice a week. I went to the shops by bike (I live in the Netherlands, where it's easy to do so) and selected a supermarket that was at least 15 minutes by bike from my home. But if you prefer swimming, fitness, tennis, hockey, brisk walking, nordic walking, skiing, cross-country skiing, horsebackriding or any other sport, that's fine too.

While you are excercising, you produce endorfins, which make you feel better. It also helps to keep depression and anxiety down.

Now you must think I'm a health and fitness nut... well, I'm not. I am so impressed with those who manage to do these things. But now that I'm further out from diagnosis, I've become more complacent and lapsed into couch-potato mode. Your posts have woken me up again. Thanks! I think I'll start by riding my bike to the far-away supermarket again. Or I could take the train to work and ride my bike for the last couple of miles. Or... Oh well, we'll see... ;-)))

Love

Jacqueline