Exercise during chemo

I have work experience in counseling people in behavior change but can't motivate myself to get back into the gym. Any tricks? Studies specifically show that people with Non hodgkins lymphoma who exercise are less likely to recur. You'd think that would get me moving but...

Hello @georger, welcome to Connect. From a nurse practitioner in Hematology, "Exercise during chemotherapy is dependent on each patient and their diagnosis, restrictions, treatment and what their exercise level was prior to their diagnosis. A patient should speak with his or her provider or hematologist about what the appropriate level of exercise during their treatment is and what their restrictions are based on the type of treatment they are receiving. If the patient and provider discuss what exercise is appropriate, there are benefits to remaining active during treatment."

If you don't mind me asking and if you are comfortable sharing, did you have a cancer diagnosis that you were able to exercise throughout your treatment?

I had stage 3 diffuse large B cell lymphoma and experienced the usual side effects but was able to keep up an exercise routine throughout and since then research has shown how important exercise is as cancer has been shown to be hypoxic in nature

@georger- I want to add a warm welcome to Mayo clinic too. Just walking was a trial for me during chemo for lung cancer. Cisplatin knocked me for a loop. But I would like to ask @margot to join us as she is presently in chemo now for SCLC. Thank you for your expertise. We can not give medical advice so any suggestions that you have could really make a difference to someone's health. Thank you.

Oddly enough, I was able to exercise throughout my R-CHOP for Non hodgkins lymphoma in 2017 but now am having more trouble staying active. Recently, however, I have decided that my Bipolar, in a deperessive episode, has contributed to my stuborness regarding exercise. So my Psych Doc changed my meds, and I am back in the gym! I hope this lasts long enough for me to get back in the habit. Thanks, gp

How do I change the name of my discussion group?

@georger- Where do you want to go?

Hi @georger, I will send you a private message.

Thanks for the offer of assistance, @georger. I have breast cancer, and had been a runner for a year (ran a half marathon). During chemo, I walked instead of ran, trying to get my walking pace under 14 minutes per mile. Great for my body and my mind, being with my running and walking teammates. A few weeks after chemo ended, I started adding some running, and then 6 weeks after chemo I walked an ran another half marathon!
The following year I advanced to metastatic breast cancer. Chemo again, maybe more intense. I kept running instead of backing off to walking. After a month of chemo and running, I fainted while running! Fortunately it was during a group run, and people helped me to a local hospital. Lots of tests but few answers as to why I fainted. A month off from running, then started running again (after a clear EEG). Within a week, I fainted while running again! Months later I had a seizure while on a 24-hour EEG - in a new town and hospital, but following up from my fainting-while-running. Now I'm on anti-seizure medicine. Maybe my fainting-while-running was due to seizures, but there were no immediate indications of seizures. I think it was the combination of running and chemo. I've heard of people running marathons while on chemo, but apparently we can't all do that (or they're on different chemo). Anyway, exercise is definitely great for some of us during chemo. I continued walking a lot during the rest of my chemo - again, great for my body and mind. Sometimes there are challenges. Running is hard, and was easy to replace with active walking. Like many cancer situations, it's different for each of us. Much wisdom to you - and healing, after cancer. Oh, and there's an exercise program for cancer patients called Livestrong - a variety of exercises with a group that recognizes people's limitations - very good!

Boy you have had a journey.As you said, everyone is different and unique in there treatment and recovery but overall I think it has been great for your mind and body that you have kept exercising during your treatment and recovery. You might try bicycling or another activity that would give you the benefits but might not have the complications associated with running. And I'm all in on Livestrong and I have my yellow bracelet on as we speak. Best of luck and keep moving. And thanks for sharing!!