Physical wellness during this journey

I used to be such a gym rat and I lost a substantial amount a weight before. I am so used to strength training and high intensity cardio, which some were fun such as Zumba, advanced step aerobics, and kickboxing. Cardio machines are just not my thing, it will not hold my attention longer than 10 minutes. Let's fast forward to now, my body has gone through a lot of trauma and changes. Exercising isn't as easy as it was for me. I am used to missing the gym for a week or two and just jump right back in there, in reality...I can't do that now. I can't do some of the things that I used to do. I have to be conscious of my bone density, although myeloma is a blood cancer, remember that it affect the bones as well. I know now I have a few bone lesions and I do what I can to be careful because I don't want any broken bones. I have never had one and really don't want one. These days I am always tired/fatigued. It is important to exercise during and after cancer treatment.

So, how do we do that now with all these changes. First check with your doctor of course. If you have a history of weight training and have bone issues now due to cancer, it will be in your best interest to decrease the amount of weight that you are used to lifting. Avoid a lot of jumping and running. These are all things that I am used to so it is frustrating not to be able to do them. I get bored very quickly, so for me it is important to keep things fresh and new. I now that I can't just jump back in and do the things I used to do but I often want to do that. However, my mind and then sometimes my body will remind me that is not such a good idea.

Here are some tips from this website https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/07/how-to-begin-an-exercise-routine-for-cancer-patients-and-survivors-part-i/. I admit for me it will be hard for me to follow some of those especially "start of slow", something I have a problem doing. I am a very all or nothing person when it comes to exercise, if I can't do what I want to do I don't want to do it. However, I do know that it is very important to stay active.

Depression...don't let it win!

If a person has a never had a history of clinical depression or have close people to them that suffer with it, most people will end up dealing with some sort of depression after diagnosed with cancer. However, what is depression, some people confuse depression and sadness and they are totally different. People often say "I'm depressed and what they mean they are really sad".Clinical depression caused distress and impairs functioning. You can you also help to raise your serotonin levels as well. Being my career background was psychology, let's look at signs of clinical depression:

Ongoing sadness, hopelessness
Lost of interest in activities
Weight loss (without trying) or weight gain
Restless or agitated that is obvious to others
Loss of energy or often tired (fatigue)
Trouble sleeping (insomnia, waking too early, or not able to sleep)
Trouble focusing, making decisions, remembering
Feeling guilty, worthlessness, helplessness
Suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts

A person must meet at least 5 of these criteria for up to 2 weeks or more in order to be diagnosed with clinical depression and they need to seek help. The signs are often exacerbated by dealing with the journey of cancer...dealing with chemo, radiation, transplants, surgeries, and life time medication therapy. You may not see your quality of life the same anymore, you may not feel that you can talk to anyone in your family or friends as they mostly can empathize but not sympathize with you. Understand that clinical depression can be treated through medication or therapy or a combination of both. You never want to suppress these feelings.

Serotonin may be decreased by chemotherapy drugs. However, there are things that you can do to help increase your serotonin such as exercise...Look at the chart below.

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