Exercise

I think every medical professional I interacted with during the worst of my chemo treatment extolled the virtues of walking. Yes, walking. For 15 minutes, if you can manage it.

I went from aerial acrobatics and pulling two kids in a bike trailer to someone who needed a nap half way up the stairs in a few short weeks. So I walked. And walked. Whenever I could manage. Sometimes down the street; sometimes just a little pacing with breaks; sometimes for a few miles because I magically could here and there. This slow down was annoying and frustrating and demoralizing. And it was exactly as expected.

What I didn’t expect was how much pain is caused by sleeping for 16 hours a day. My back, hips, shoulders, skin – it all started to hurt.

I modified a few favorite standbys to keep my core from dissolving into nothingness while I moaned in back pain. Crunches, ab rocks… everything I’d normally do to keep my back healthy were an absolute no-go because of the nausea. And planks – not a chance.

I finally came up with a mini-routine that I could do on the floor between the loo and my bed. I’d get up, enjoy the facilities, do my exercises for a minute, then head back to sleep.

Dead bugs – lay on your back with your knees over your hips and hands straight up in the arm, keeping your core engaged, reach out with your arm and opposite leg, alternating sides

Leg lifts – lay on your back with your hands under your bum, keeping your core engaged and your back flat against the floor, lift your legs up to 90 degrees with your toes pointing at the ceiling. Some days this was a bit too much and I would start with my legs up at 90 degrees and lower them slightly and bring them back up.

Bird dogs – normally, you would get on your hands and knees, make sure your back is flat, reach out with your hand and opposite leg without moving your trunk, alternating sides. My balance was absolutely not up for this challenge. Instead, I did the legs and arms separately: on hands and knees, make sure your back is flat, straighten and reach one leg out and back down then alternate. After a few goes with my legs, I kept my knees down, reaching arms out one at a time. Since I wasn’t doing the full exercise, I really focused on keeping my low back in the right position the whole time.