Motivation

No, because moving always makes me feel better. Maybe we should stop call it exercise. The notion of going of trying to get psyched up to do something unpleasant doesn't work. Instead, I'd ask survivors, how would you like to help yourself feel better...and it's free? Take a walk. I walked all during treatment until I had difficulty while taking Taxotere and steroids. That was difficult, and it was during daily radiation as well, since I drove an hour to and from.

Healthy survivorship calls for exercise. It's good for the body, soul and mind. Intense aerobic exercise - as opposed to just walking - does a kick charge for the brain. After survivorship I also started cycling, which I enjoy immensely.

But everyone knows this. The essential thing is to do it.
jms

Yes, it was difficult for me to get motivated to exercise after treatment. My energy level was down and I think I was just down in general. I'm grateful to my doctors for pushing me to go back to the gym! Exercise is important for the healing process (physically and mentally)!!! I wish I could say that I'm exercising now purely for health reasons. But, luckily, my reconstruction has been going really well and I feel the rest of my body has to match the masterpiece my plastic surgeon has been working on.

I was fairly active before my diagnosis -- running, tap dancing, swing dancing, etc -- and found that keeping up with my exercise/activities as much as possible was crucial to both my mental health and my recovery during treatment. I had four chemo infusions of taxotere/cytoxan (one infusion every 3 weeks) and was able to run through two of them (although not during the first week when the bone pain was too intense). After the third infusion, I had to dial it down to walking (I also had to let the dancing go). But once chemo was over and I was able to get rid of the excess water weight from the steroids, I was able to get back to running and even attain my old mileage within a couple of months. I also ran, danced, walked, etc. during 6.5 weeks of radiation which I believe is the number one reason why I didn't have too many issues with fatigue.

As far as motivation goes, running and dancing and doing all the things that made me feel normal and healthy and whole was my way of telling cancer it could suck it. It was also a way to stay in touch with my body and to appreciate what it could do, even under duress, even with a couple of essential parts missing. I didn't worry about getting the normal amount of exercise for someone my age and ability. I just focused on getting what little exercise I felt up to. Importantly, I only live 2 blocks from my oncology clinic, so I walked to all treatments and appointments. I remember only one appointment that I walked to but was unable to walk home afterwards.

That said, I always had a buddy on my walks: my husband, my brother, my aunt. These support people were instrumental in helping me get out and stay on my feet. Keep your support network close at hand!

Gradually as the strength returned I was able to exercise on my own. Within a few weeks after my last treatment I was biking to work again. Then I started taking a yoga class to help me regain my range of motion in my affected arm and shoulder. Exercise has been an important part of the recovery process, both to heal my body and to empower my mind.

When I became despondent during my treatment, I made an appointment with a psychologist. Since I was already taking a truckload of drugs as part of my chemotherapy regimen, I was not eager to add a mood elevator. So the psychologist suggested that we try hypnotism. I was very skeptical. Throughout the entire session, I was thinking, This is stupid! But I walked out feeling as if an enormous load had been lifted from my shoulders. After weeks of being overwhelmed by a sense of dread and dreariness, I suddenly felt cheerful. It felt as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. The effect lasted for about a month. When it wore off, I had another session, which was also effective. I think I had three sessions in all. Eventually I really didn't need it anymore. Absolutely. There are plenty of days like that. I have a lot on my plate right now so there are definitely days when I feel tired and a little overwhelmed. I may feel tired at times but I never lose my zest for life. I wake up each day encouraged by the women that I now help through my non-profit breast cancer organization B.i.o.n.i.c. Girls, Inc. It gives my life so much purpose and is very rewarding to give back. I look at it this way... God spared my life for a reason. He helped me overcome epilepsy and brought me through breast cancer so that I can now go back and help other women through it. My life has truly come full circle.

There is a very creative art project called the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project. The photographer and the artist do not get paid for doing anything, and the images come out beautiful. Each image is a painting representing a breast cancer survivor's journey. And they give some proceeds to breast cancer charities. You can see some of them on Cafe Press:
http://www.cafepress.com/BCABPP This is a great question! Let me say up front that I am not a breast cancer survivor...but art played a large role in my late husband's healing journey when he was going through Hodgkin's Disease.

Art can be an incredibly empowering outlet both in the images we choose to have around us or in actually creating art of our own. For me, it was a greeting card with soft blues and greens and the word "Breathe" handwritten on it that reminded me even on days when we were facing hard times with Gary's illness that I could center myself by taking a breathe. It really helped me manage my stress levels.

I've written a series of articles on art, healing and creativity that explores this subject and also features four of Gary's paintings. The one I love that helped me most after he died is called One With the Universe. You can read them on Kota Press' Blog:
Part 1 - The Source - http://kotapress.blogspot.com/2010/06/sourcea-guest-post-by-tambre-leighn.html

Part 2 - Quad Sun - http://kotapress.blogspot.com/2010/08/quad-sun-celebration-of-light-lifea.html

Part 3 - Indigo Dusk - http://kotapress.blogspot.com/2010/07/indigo-dusk-journey-to-present-guest.html

Part 4 - One With the Universe - http://kotapress.blogspot.com/2010/09/one-with-universeby-tambre-leighn.html