COMING SOON
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WHY I MADE THIS COURSE
In April 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I spent the rest of the year going through treatment. It was tough, but I am recovered and grateful that it wasn’t worse.
During chemotherapy, I was encouraged to “exercise as much as I could,” but I had almost no guidance as to what that should look like. And despite a slew of recent research showing the benefits of strength training during treatment (see below), nobody told me to do it.
Once I could tolerate it, adding strength training was a total game changer, and made my treatment a lot more bearable. But the reality of chemo is that you can go from being unable to leave the couch to swinging kettlebells around within a matter of days. So how does anyone figure out what to do? It’s confusing, and if I wasn’t a movement professional, I would have been at a total loss.
So I'm creating a six-part program designed to help other cancer patients keep moving during treatment. Starting from extremely gentle yoga, we make our way up to more energizing movements, body weight and balance challenges, and finally adding weights. Each video builds on the last, so you can choose where to start, and how soon to move to the next (or just stay with the one that suits you best).
Once you purchase the course, it’s yours to use forever!
Know someone going through cancer treatment who might benefit? Gift them this program!
CLASS PROGRESSION
FROM GENTLE YOGA TO KETTLEBELLS OVER SIX CLASSES
Class 1: Gentle Yoga
Designed to reconnect you with your body once you’re cleared for exercise following chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. No twists, no standing, just a series of easy movements to soothe your nervous system, with a fully seated version if getting down to the floor is not an option. This one’s great for any day that you need a little quiet time with yourself (now that I think about it, that’s every day).
Class 2: Gentle Active Yoga
More challenge in this one – some twists, some standing, even a few squats, but no weights (I’ll warn you when the weights show up). Seated and chair-assisted version included if you need more options. Bigger movements to wake up more muscles and get the blood flowing, balanced with some quieter seated poses. Harder than the first one, but not hard. (Not yet.)
Class 3: Active Balance Yoga
When you’re ready to work and maybe even sweat a little, give this one a go. This sequence builds on what you learned in the first two videos - more flowing movements, balance challenges, and longer sequences, preparing you for some of the strength challenges to follow. It’s the Rocky training montage of movement classes. (See if you can spot the moments I had hot flashes during this one!)
Class 4: Flow, Core, and Bodyweight Training
Ok – here’s where we really start to turn up the dial on our strength and coordination. Still no weights – they’re coming, don’t worry – but fundamental movements to strengthen hips, core and arms, with fun playful choreography (don’t worry, you’ll get step-by-step cueing throughout). This one might be my favorite (but don’t tell the others, they’ll be jealous).
Class 5: Strength and Plyometrics Essentials
Maybe you’ve strength trained for years, or maybe you’ve never worked with weights. Either way, this class teaches the basics of weight training form, so you can head into the final class with confidence. Do I make you jump around a few times as well? I mean, I kind of have to, since it says plyometrics in the title. Listen, I don’t make the rules.
Class 6: Strength and Plyometrics Challenge
You’ve worked really hard to get this far. Your reward? A fun, challenging sequence including more complex weight training moves, more plyo (jumping is fun!), and more satisfaction when you’re done. I’ve also broken this one down into parts so you can work your way up to the full sequence or do an abbreviated version if you’re crunched for time.
COMING SOON
Enter your name and email address below to be the first to know when this course launches. You'll also be added to my email list (but don't worry, your information is safe with me).
RESEARCH LINKS
Mijwel S, Backman M, Bolam KA et al. Highly favorable physiological responses to concurrent resistance and high-intensity interval training during chemotherapy: the OptiTrain breast cancer trial. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018 May;169(1):93-103. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5882634/
De Backer IC, Van Breda E, Vreugdenhil A, Nijziel MR, Kester AD, Schep G. High-intensity strength training improves quality of life in cancer survivors. Acta Oncol. 2007;46(8):1143-51. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17851864/
Schmidt ME, Wiskemann J, Armbrust P, Schneeweiss A, Ulrich CM, Steindorf K. Effects of resistance exercise on fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Cancer. 2015 Jul 15;137(2):471-80. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.29383
Montaño-Rojas LS, Romero-Pérez EM, Medina-Pérez C, Reguera-Garcia MM, de Paz JA. Resistance training in breast cancer survivors: a systematic review of exercise programs. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Sep 7;17(18):6511. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7558202/
Klassen O, Schmidt ME, Ulrich CM et al. Muscle strength in breast cancer patients receiving different treatment regimes. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2017 Apr; 8(2): 305–316. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27896952/
Ax AK, Johansson B, Carlsson M, Nordin K, Börieson S. Exercise: a positive feature on functioning in daily life during cancer treatment - experiences from the Phys-Can study. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2020 Feb;44:101713. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31877511/
De Backer LC, Vreugdenhil G, Nijziel MR, Kester AD, van Breda E, Schep G. Long-term follow-up after cancer rehabilitation using high-intensity resistance training: persistent improvement of physical performance and quality of life. Br J Cancer. 2008 Jul 8; 99(1): 30–36. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2453017/#bib16
![This week’s episode of the Movement Logic Podcast is all about breathing.
[Post and podcast CW: assault, trauma]
I can’t tell you how many people I see in the clinic who are getting by on chest breathing – in particular, people who have had repeated traumatic experiences. This trauma may be directly related to their pain (the patient whose injury was caused by a negative experience with a practitioner, like a yoga class injury or a chiropractic adjustment), or it may not directly relate, but is a result of a life experience (the patient grieving the death of a loved one).
Is it always helpful to be instructed how to breathe? What if it's an override to someone's natural function? And what if your breathing intervention doesn’t achieve what you thought it would?
If we're teaching breathing in class, we have to consider the possibility that for at least some of the people in the room, they're breathing the way they are for a reason, and if we’re going to intervene and change it, we had better know exactly what we’re trying to do to their nervous system (wake it up or calm it down). We may want to consider the way we present breathing practices as well – less of an order, more of an option may feel safer to a lot of people.
Check out the full episode at the link in bio.
[Upcoming episode teaser: I was inspired by my utter lack of knowledge around nitrous oxide and the benefits of nose breathing to research and record an entire follow up episode on the topic. Keep an eye out for this ep in a few months!]](https://sarahcourtdpt.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
