Back in the mid 1990's at our small integrated physical therapy clinic/health club we scandalously had members in cancer treatment working out within the limits of their ability. They were reporting positive results despite the accepted "be careful you are fragile" belief systems of the time. Thanks to the work of numerous groups to include Livestrong and DEFEAT Cancer, today those of us new to the cancer care world can shake our heads in amazement that such an approach was considered radical! While the acceptance of maintaining fitness and activity is reason to celebrate, let's examine a pearl of value that may get swept aside in our cultural bias of "do" and "more" during the journey of a cancer experience.
 What is Exercise?
You know what exercise is: you lift, push, kick, jump, swim, dance and just plain move. We all know that. What most of us forget is the other side of the coin of movement, and that is rest, or as the white coats would label it: recovery. Exercise is both work AND recovery. All work and no recovery, we break down in fatigue or tissue failure such as strains and tendinitis. This principle is especially critical for the person going through treatment and those supporting them. As you have no doubt discovered, cancer care is exhausting. So how do you balance the fact that exercise is important and you are bone-tired? The answer is get better at resting.
Better Rest
Most of us are familiar with the standard recovery prescriptions of easy/hard days, rotating strength training muscle groups, and proper nutrition and hydration. What may be less familiar to you is that the following micro-prescriptions are now being demonstrated to have very powerful recovery effects as well:
- Your posture throughout the day.
- The depth and recruitment pattern of your resting breathing habit.
- The position and tone in your tongue and hands throughout the day.
- What you watch and listen to during your free time.
- Who you associate with and the state of their central nervous system.
- Whether your head is over your hips or in front of them as you read this blog!
My bet is that you've squirmed and modified your posture just scanning that list, right? What we forget is that our somatic "embodied" wisdom is evolutionarily much older than the "new" brain of standard thinking. In our rush to be scientific, we've looked right past that same urge that just shifted your posture. This wisdom lies dormant in much of our culture as we look outward to find solutions and comfort. The good news is that it's freely accessible by turning our attention inward and sensing/listening. This "being" vs "doing" has been undervalued in our society. Slowly though research and client experiences is bringing forward the immense value of learning to rest well as a habit, not just a recovery day at the gym. For more information and techniques on the value of rest and relaxation, visit my article on the EmbodiWorks website. In the meantime, feet on the floor, long front of the spine and soften that exhalemost of us can rest while surf the web and work. Try it!
Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD, teaches mindbody science to rehabilitation professionals. He writes, presents at national conferences and conducts research. He is a professional advisor to the Wellness Community of Arizona and past president and research chair for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. His busy clinical practice includes oncological patients with chronic, complex pain challenges. Learn more at www.matthewjtaylor.com and you can email Matt at matthew@matthewjtaylor.com.
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