Question? Would you rather have a sugary confection of deliciousness or ????? BRING ON THE COOKIES!
My reality: Breast Cancer patient since 2014. This is not going to be a foodie free-for-all, DARN IT!
My Choice (goal): I also have the power to make healthy decisions to win the battle!!
I am going to be completely honest and admit that I am going to eat the cookies as well as the carrot!
I encourage you to be aware this holiday season of your choices.
Cast a vision for yourself. What is this fight going to look like? Maybe choosing more veggies to "crowd out" the unhealthy choices. Sparkling water with a twist of lime instead of the nog. Cutting yourself a slice of pie....not the whole pie!
I encourage you to come up with some realistic strategies to help you obtain your goal. When you have arsenal-ready actions to utilize when temptation takes another turn around the dinner table, you will be ready!!
Fight the Food Baby! Get Moving!
I encourage you to try something new!! I am a Yogi, I love it!...but it's not all about the savasana.
I'm sharing this great article hoping you will become curious and excited! Namaste!
Benefits of Yoga for Cancer Survivors-Lynne Eldridge, MD-Verywell
Yoga can help you center your thoughts and maintain flexibility but also has benefits specifically for people living with cancer. Symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, and pain can all lower your quality of life with cancer. In recent years the use of yoga has been evaluated in many studies looking at cancer symptoms.
Some of the benefits that have been supported by at least a study or two include:
- Sleep and Insomnia: Yoga may help people with cancer who have difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep. This is more important than it may sound, as we've learned that insomnia in cancer patients can be dangerous - not only by increasing fatigue and lessening quality of life, but may even play a role in survival.
- Anxiety: Through its centering activities and breathing practices, yoga may reduce the anxiety associated with cancer.
- Loss of Appetite: In some cases, yoga may result in an improvement when loss of appetite accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
- Pain: As a complementary treatment –- that is, a treatment that is used along with conventional treatments such as pain medications -– yoga may decrease pain associated with cancer.
- Stress: Yoga appears to have a role in stress reduction for people living with cancer, both clinically -- meaning that people have said they feel less stressed -- and as seen in markers of stress in the body. In a few small studies, yoga lowered blood cortisol levels in patients with breast cancer. Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted during stress and may play a role in the progression of cancer.
- Emotional Distress: Individuals living with cancer reported significantly less emotional distress related to their disease when they incorporated yoga into their weekly routine
- Fatigue: In a few studies, yoga was associated with a significant decrease in the fatigue related to cancer and cancer treatments. This is also incredibly important, as the majority of people with cancer suffer from cancer-related fatigue.
- Physical Benefits:Yoga can help improve flexibility, strength, muscle tone, and balance; all of which may be compromised when you undergo surgery or prolonged bed rest due to cancer treatments.:
Getting Started
As with any activity, it is important to talk with your oncologist before beginning yoga. Some yoga positions may cause strain on ligaments and joints that could be detrimental to some people living with cancer. You may wish to take a moment to learn how to prevent yoga injuries.Cautions
It is important to note that these benefits of yoga relate to improvement in the symptoms of cancer and are not considered a “treatment” for cancer. In this context, yoga is usually used in an “integrative” fashion, meaning that alternative methods such as yoga are offered to help an individual cope with symptoms, while traditional medical practices such as surgery and chemotherapy are used to treat the cancer itself
