Appetite for physical fitness diminished by fatigue

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Appetite for physical fitness diminished by fatigue

Posted Oct 26th 2006 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Exercise, Cancer Survivors

I am in a slump. I feel tired and slow and unmotivated. And ever since October 14 -- when I ran in the 5K Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event -- I can't seem to find the inspiration to exercise. I am making myself do it -- here and there -- but my usual drive and push and spunk are missing. Typically, I crave exercise and feel lethargic if I don't accomplish some sort of daily physical challenge. But for the past week or so, I have no craving, no desire to walk or run or lift weights, no appetite for my usual fitness routine. I am just plain tired.

Fatigue is a common side effect of cancer treatment -- even years after treatment ends, according to some experts. So perhaps my drop in energy and enthusiasm is due to the cumulative effect of my own treatment for breast cancer that just ended in June. My treatment spanned almost two years. Maybe it's no surprise my body is lagging behind my expectations for physical health.

Experts also say exercise helps combat fatigue. I believe this -- it's why I usually like exercise. It boosts my adrenaline, perks me up, makes me feel alive. If only I could get back into the swing of things, these feelings might come flooding back. But right now, I am not even thinking about how to find my old groove. I am just too tired.

Tags: adrenaline, against, alive, appetite, back, body, boosts, breast, cancer, challenge, combat, crave, cumulative, diminihed, drive, effect, energy, enthusiasm, event, exercise, expectations, experts, fatigue, fitness, flooding, health, inspiration, june, lagging, lethargic, making, missing, perks, physical, push, routine, side, slump, spunk, strides, swing, tired, treatment, two, unmotivated, years

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. FYI - there's a new study out in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that may be helpful for cancer survivors experiencing severe fatigue. The study shows that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) can significantly reduce fatigue & functional impairment among cancer survivors... summary and link are at http://www.cttoday.org, under "Research Results," if anyone's interested.

Posted at 3:45PM on Oct 26th 2006 by K

2. The loss of energy after completing an event is very common, especially if you do not have another event or goal to work toward. When we add to this the additional physical stress we have from treatment we can create the perfect environment for overwhelming feelings of fatigue.

I ran the Columbus Marathon on the 15th of October and am also working my way through the post-race blahs. And even though my last treatment was not as recent as yours, I still must remember to give myself extra time to heal after competing. Here is what I do.

1)Keep the same schedule for training that I used before the event, but cut back on the intensity. i.e. Instead of running for an hour, I will walk for an hour, do an hour of Yoga, or pedal an easy pace on a stationary bike for an hour.
2)Pick out my next event. Once my body is ready, I start training for that goal. These days, I usually have my next two or three events already planned. I try to keep them about a month apart and vary the type of event to keep it interesting.
3)Use mini-goals and rewards. If I keep my workout schedule for the first week, I get a movie or some other small treat. Each week until I am back to full training has a goal and a reward.

Keep up the good work and I hope to see you at a race sometime. - paul

Posted at 4:50PM on Oct 26th 2006 by Paul

3. I am a breast cancer survivor. I had my lump removed a year ago and just had to undergo radiation treatments. I too loved to exercise, but since the treatments am just too tired to get going again. I made the comment to a friend, that I don't think I will ever feel like the "Me" before the cancer. Just this week I have started working out on my ellipical trainer and have felt very good afterwards. Hope this helps boost my energy levels.

Posted at 5:30PM on Nov 1st 2006 by Barbara Stone



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