Thanks so much for the kudos. I have been exercising like crazy for the last 1 1/2 years and have lost 30 pounds and put on a good amount of muscle. This was all before my diagnosis, but I feel that being in better shape, at the age of 51, helped me tremendously to get through the surgery, radiation, and now, the anastrozole and (upcoming) Zometa portion of the treatment. The decision to take the meds was difficult because of all of the collateral damage - bone loss (I already have osteopenia) and increased cholesterol (mine is finally coming down and I would hate to see it go back up again), among other side effects that seem to wax and wane. Hot flashes are killer now - much more so than before. I am postmenopausal but have had hot flashes for the past five years that were mild. Now, they are super-intense. Yuck.

Anyway, I do my best to work out. I do 20 minutes of elliptical every morning at 5:00 a.m., followed by 45 minutes on my Total Gym, then 20-30 minutes of elliptical over lunch, followed by more after work to make sure I get in my 10,000 steps each day. I was walking for 45 minutes over my lunch each day over the summer, but now it's just too cold and windy for me to go outside for my walks. I feel great, actually, and hope that continues. I take a number of vitamin supplements and Thrive products, which I believe help a great deal. I also drink water all day long and a green tea concoction with apple juice and take protein supplement powder in a smoothie each morning after my workout. It's a lot of work but is now the norm for me, and I feel great about it!