Four Tips for Starting Weights

Many of us know that high body fat is linked to an increased risk for many cancer types, but something that is new and emerging in the research is the importance of muscle mass for those diagnosed with the disease.

This new research is indicating that if you can maintain or even increase your muscle mass AFTER diagnosis, you may:

• Have less side effects during treatment
• Respond better to your treatment
• Reduce your risk of recurrence

For most of us however, paying attention to muscle mass and lifting weights is new and getting started can be the hardest part, especially if you are post-treatment and don’t feel your best. For this reason, it’s important to start slowly with body weight exercises and account for your own unique needs.

Here are four tips to help get you started with a regular resistance/strength training regimen:

1. Make an individualized plan:
Before starting any exercise plan, we recommend seeing your health-care provider to ensure that any exercise program you begin will be safe.  Once you are cleared to begin resistance training, it’s time to create an individualized plan. If you are completely new to resistance training, it may be useful to hire a personal trainer to help educate and guide you. However, there are numerous online resources and instructional videos that can help you get started. HASFit is a YouTube channel with excellent resistance training videos from beginner through advanced and it includes body weight only workouts or workouts incorporating equipment.   

2. Work out to your favourite music:
Music is a great motivator to start (and complete) a workout. Choosing your own music before a workout cannot only improve performance but may also reduce your own perceived exertion level. This means that you are getting the benefits of working out without feeling as tired – a win-win situation!

3. Avoid the “all or nothing” principle:
Starting your resistance training program shouldn’t be approached with the mindset of perfection. Life gets busy but it’s important to consistently engage with the activity, even if it’s not your best workout or you can’t spend as much time exercising as you would like. Consistency is more important than perfection and will help to form healthy, lifelong habits.

4. Build a community:
Social support is strongly linked to improved compliance with exercise programs. Ideas to build your fitness community include trying a group workout (there are many virtual options these days) or joining a fitness app with an online community. Building a community around yourself will not only help you exercise more regularly but you may enjoy it more as well.  

Author: Samantha Maloney, CCNM Integrative Cancer Centre intern