Walking on a Treadmill Right After a Double Mastectomy
Ask your surgeon and/or breast care nurse if it’s okay to walk on a treadmill right after you get home from your double mastectomy.
First I need to qualify that this information is based on my experience with a prophylactic double mastectomy without reconstruction. I’m also a former personal trainer.
Prior to the surgery the breast care nurse told me that I will need to be walking as soon as possible after the operation – to prevent constipation.
I believe she anticipated that I’d be in enough pain to want a narcotic drug; these drugs can cause constipation.
However, I did not have pain, only a tolerable amount of soreness, but soon after the surgery I was wanting to walk the corridors.
There were no restrictions on how often I could leave my hospital room and walk the hallways, or how long each hallway walk lasted.
The surgeon told me I could walk all I wanted, based on my comfort level, once I got home the day after the preventive double mastectomy. But he said don’t use a treadmill incline higher than 20 percent.
The next day I took it quite easy, but the day after I was on my treadmill desk while using the computer.
And since then I’ve been using the treadmill desk – and my regular treadmill. Ever hear of the “sitting disease”?
Having undergone a prophylactic double mastectomy doesn’t exempt you from the dangers of prolonged sitting.
So I’ve been walking as much as possible on my treadmills as well as outdoors.
Guidelines for Walking on a Treadmill Soon After Double Mastectomy
Again, this information applies primarily to those who’ve had a prophylactic procedure without reconstruction.
• Don’t let the JP drains stop you from walking. They should be held in place by a miniature smock or apron that goes beneath your shirt.
• Drains can also be pinned to your pants and hidden under your top.
If you’re on a narcotic painkiller and hence feel dizzy or off-balance, it’s advisable to avoid the treadmill.
My guidelines pertain to those who are not on any medications that can alter balance, cause unsteadiness or dizziness.
It stands to reason that good posture should be a part of your surgical recovery.
There is no medical reason, then, why you should hold onto the treadmill OTHER THAN to steady yourself while sipping water or as a brief balance check.
But as part of the walking routine itself, you don’t need to hold on. A double mastectomy will not affect your balance and require you to hold onto the treadmill.
If your balance is wavering, however, then get off the machine and find out why there’s a balance issue. I understand that losing large breasts can make a woman feel a bit off-center.
But the best way to re-establish a feeling of balance is to force your body to adapt to a balance stimulus, such as walking on a treadmill without holding on.
GO SLOWLY. Start out at one mph. When I was a trainer I was always seeing people walking at high inclines and high speeds and clutching the machine.
Start level and slowly, and build up your speed from there. By not holding on you force your body to have good posture and correct gait mechanics, as well as maximal breathing efficacy.
If it hurts to swing your arms, then keep them at your sides with minimal movement rather than holding onto the machine.
If you lock down your arms by holding onto the machine, this lockup will do you NO favors as far as preventing things from tightening up around your shoulders and chest.
Right after a double mastectomy, walking on a treadmill will increase blood circulation which will contribute to the healing process.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Microgen
Why Courage Does Not Mean Wearing a Bikini if You’re Fat
There are reasons why “courage” should never mean wearing a bikini no matter how fat you are.
The woman in the above photo certainly will not go down in history.
She will not make the news for bringing her plus-size body to the beach in a bikini.
I grew up thinking that “courage” and “brave” applied to acts carried out by firefighters or the military, dangerous motorcycle stunts or walking around in the city completely blind and trusting a dog to lead you.
Other things have been historically labeled as courageous, such as fighting a terminal illness, training for a marathon after losing a leg to cancer, rounding up people to fight drugs in the neighborhood and jumping between a snarling stray dog and your preschooler.
The Standard for Courage Has Drastically Been Lowered by the Body Positivity Movement
Putting on a bikini — even if you’re very fat — should not be considered an inspirational act.
Yet plus-size Instagram influencers are being lauded for being “inspirational” (read the comments to their photos) simply because they post images of themselves in bikinis or “daring” clothes.
You want to see REAL inspiration? Check out the images below!
For some people, courage and bravery mean speaking before a large group, skydiving for the first time or finally telling off one’s crooked workplace boss.
The men pictured below are no more or no less a bastion of courage, bravery and inspiration than is a 240 pound Instagram star who claims to own 52 bikinis.
The term “courage” is associated with Special Olympics, especially when participants with no legs are bench pressing 400 pounds.
But unfortunately, many women — and their children — now associate “courage” with wearing a bikini!
We are de-evolving!
The decision to put on a bikini, post a selfie or walk out the door and visit the beach is NOT an act of courage or bravery, nor does it even hint at inspirational.
Let’s not make this more than what it actually is: a fashion choice.
Sadly, we live in a society where very heavyset women, who preach body confidence, feed their ego by convincing other big women to wear a bikini or two-piece swimsuit.
Shutterstock/DenisProduction.com
“I wish I had your courage!” is a common post by followers of body positive influencers who regularly post themselves in revealing swimwear.
Have you yourself ever posted, “I wish I had your courage!” in response to a picture of a fat influencer in a bikini?
For all you know, that idol of yours is too chicken to speak up about a recurring injustice at the workplace; too skittish to speak up when a woman steps before her in a line; too afraid to tell her neighbor to stop letting his dog crap in her yard.
A picture is NOT always worth a thousand words.
It’s time for fat women to stop lowering their standard of what defines courage.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/DenisProduction.com
Wearing a Bikini if You’re Fat Won’t Help Your Self-Esteem
Lately there’s a movement sweeping the nation:
If you’re fat with poor self-esteem, you can cure this by wearing a bikini to the beach.
Preventive Double Mastectomy, No Reconstruction: Your Primer
If you’re about to have a prophylactic double mastectomy without reconstruction or just had it, here’s a bunch of information that applies specifically to you.
The Internet is filled with information about double mastectomies as a treatment for breast cancer, and especially such procedures being followed by breast reconstruction.
But there’s not much out there about the preventive (prophylactic) double mastectomy – minus breast reconstruction.
I’m a former personal trainer who underwent a prophylactic double mastectomy without the reconstruction — after learning my sister had breast cancer.
If you’ve been searching and searching the Internet for information on prophylactic mastectomies in healthy women and have not found what you were looking for, perhaps your questions will be answered by any one of the articles below — based on my personal experience.
CHECK THESE OUT …
How do you prepare your body for a double mastectomy? Here are guidelines for healthy women.
You might have read about pain horror stories post-op the day of surgery, but you should not let these give you anxiety. Here’s how it feels same day.
Restriction of upper body movement means you’ll need to hold off on any upper body workouts you had been doing prior to the surgery.
This can bring on the concern of unwanted weight gain. But there are ways to prevent this undesirable gain of excess fat.
Another big concern for some women is that of concealing a double mastectomy (minus reconstruction) from family members.
This is actually quite doable if you’ve always had small breasts, such as myself.
If your breasts were small, you can employ some tricks to keep family members from ever knowing that you had them removed.
You will need to deal with drainage from the surgical area on a daily basis, and may have questions about this, such as why it’s so warm.
If you’ve always been a strength training enthusiast, you’ll want to know why you must wait up to six weeks before getting back into your favorite exercises such as the bench press, overhead dumbbell press, deadlift, lat pull-down and bent-over dumbbell row. Here’s why this restriction is so long.
When you’re told that you can’t lift weights for six weeks after the mastectomy, you should ask specific questions about this to your surgeon.
After all, why can’t you work the LEGS when the surgery was on the upper body?
Your chest might start twitching after the operation. There’s a reason why you should not let this alarm you.
What if you live alone and don’t have anyone close in your life who can stay with you a while and help with your recovery?
This means you must be a self-caregiver. But don’t panic; here’s how to be an effective caregiver to yourself after a preventive double mastectomy.
You can look forward to getting back into your heavy weight training regimen once the restriction on lifting weights has been lifted.
Shutterstock/Miljan Zivkovic
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/siam.pukkato
Tricks to Hide Mastectomy without Reconstruction from Family
I’m 21 days postop from a preventive double mastectomy without reconstruction and have pulled a number of tricks to keep it a secret from my family.
Here’s how to keep family members from finding out you had a double mastectomy without a reconstruction. (more…)
Another Red Meat Causes Cancer Study: Hype or Truth?
What’s going on with the studies linking meat and protein to higher rates of cancer?
One of the most startling reports to make rounds comes from Valter Longo, who was professor of biogerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute at the time of his study.
His study, which appears in Cell Metabolism (March 4, 2014), concludes that high protein intake is linked to a dramatic rise in cancer death.
All-cause mortality was 74 percent higher among protein lovers during the study period than with lower protein eaters.
Though Longo et al’s study incorporates the issue of growth factor IGF-1, which is regulated by protein intake, the study did not adjust for a particular, and very significant, variable.
This “red meat cancer” study accounted for plant vs. animal protein — and adjusting for carbohydrate and fat intake did not alter mortality results.
Mortality rates and cancer death were not impacted by plant protein, even though plant protein also affects IGF-1.
This suggests that animal protein is the key villain.
But there’s a big gaping hole: source of animal protein!
What kind of animal protein were the study participants eating?
In fact, this question applies to all the meat and protein studies that deliver bad news – as in, “Red meat causes cancer.”
Can You Eat Your Lamb and Buffalo without Worrying About Cancer?
“The studies that have linked red meat to some cancers are very broad and have grouped red meat in the same category as processed meats including bacon, sausage, etc.,” says Dr. Keith Kantor, a leading nutritionist and CEO of the Nutritional Addiction Mitigation Eating and Drinking (NAMED) program, which treats substance abuse, mental illnesses and other illnesses.
“Red meat including pork, beef, lamb, etc., that is cooked from its most natural form are not as high of a risk for cancer as processed meats,” says Dr. Kantor.
“It is important to take into consideration that these studies are also not taking into consideration the quality of meat, and most importantly the type of farming the meat came from.
“Factory farming methods are typically higher in chemicals and lower in nutrients, meaning that factory farmed meats have less essential amino acids than grass fed and organic farms do.
“In addition to the type of farming, the processing of the meats is also an important factor in determining the health risk associated with the meat.
“A frozen meal that has been pumped with preservatives, dyes and additional chemicals is not near as nutritionally dense as organic and all-natural meat options.”
- Did the high protein eaters feast mainly on meat dishes that come in a plastic tub that you stick in the microwave?
- Did a lot of the protein come from luncheon and deli meats or fake roast beef sandwiches from a fast food chain?
Beware of these studies. “The meat is never adjusted for and never organically, grass fed sourced,” says John Salerno, MD, board certified family physician who combines complementary medicine with his private practice in NYC.
“In the studies, the meat used is never the healthier alternative, which is why these studies can be argued may not be applicable to those who choose to consume healthier, leaner meat options,” points out Dr. Salerno.
What would make a more truthful “meat causes cancer” study?
Let’s investigate people whose red meat consumption consists entirely of grass fed or wild game — straight from the butcher rather than from a box, tub or McBurger’s.
Where ARE these more focused studies?
Dr. Kantor has a PhD in nutritional science and a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, has appeared on CNN and Fox News Channel for his expertise, and has been an advocate of natural food and healthy living for 30+ years.
The Salerno Center
for Complementary Medicine combines the wisdom of alternative healing with the teachings of traditional medicine, treating the entire patient instead of just symptoms.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Source: cell.com/cell-metabolism/comments/S1550-4131(14)00062-X
Can a Lot of Walking on a Treadmill Be Bad for Your Body?
How much time can one spend walking on a treadmill before it starts becoming something bad for the body?
Spending a lot of time walking on a treadmill can be defined as very prolonged periods on the machine, but not necessarily daily. (more…)
Why It’s OK for Plus Size Women to Want a Slim Body
If you’re plus size and want a slim body, there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s a myth that the only road to fat loss is to starve or develop an eating disorder.
Now before I go on further, take a good look at the image below to clearly understand my message.
If you want to look like Wonder Woman, you can! You need not develop “big” muscles to get a svelte waist and fit into a size 6 outfit.
As a former personal trainer, I can confidently tell you that every single overweight client I ever had, who had “struggled” for years with their weight, went about fat loss the WRONG way.
One of the mistakes they had made was either not doing any strength training, or, if they were, it was not intense enough.
Don’t give up your goal to slim down. Do not let obese women guilt you into thinking that wanting to go from a size 18 to a slender size means you hate yourself.
Just make sure that your goal is realistic. For instance, a woman who’s 6’2 shouldn’t be aiming for a standard size 6.
At a job I once had, a coworker woman was 6’2 and wore a size 12. Yet she was sometimes referred to as “skinny.”
But for the average woman, a size 6 is far from anorexic thin.
I helped clients with an obese-range BMI (body mass index) get down to a normal-weight or lean body. And yes, they were happier.
Did it help them pay their bills? No. Did it bring them love? No. But did they physically feel better, sleep better, have more energy and no longer have knee pain or high blood pressure? YES!
The Formula for Safe, Permanent Fat Loss
This formula works whether you’re morbidly obese, moderately obese or 20 pounds overweight.
• Lift weights: heavy, intensely and hard – enough to be breathing hard after each set — for at least 75% of your sets. Below are examples of some exercises.
Back or barbell squat. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Bodyweight squat. Shutterstock/LightField Studios
Dumbbell squat. Shutterstock/BLACKDAY
Standing dumbbell press. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Deadlift. Shutterstock/Reshetnikov_art
Seated chest press
Leg press. Shutterstock/Aleksey Boyko
T-bar row. Samuel Girven/Unsplash
• Do high intensity interval training. ANY body can do this. It can be effectively done on a stationary bike or elliptical trainer. It can be done walking inclines on a treadmill (do not hold on). To learn more about HIIT, here are guidelines.
• Control portions of your food. Do not eliminate your favorite foods.
• Restrict processed food (e.g., eat grapes for energy, not an “energy bar”).
• Eat your highest-calorie meals within a few hours of your workouts.
Do not let body positive women – who DON’T have the body you’ve always wanted – convince you that your mental health is in a bad state just because you “hate” your body.
And besides, the issue isn’t your body. The issues are not knowing how to maximize workouts and apply mindful eating habits.
If you see yourself as “fat” and want a trim and toned body, then by all means, continue to strive for this. NEVER settle for being fat. Embrace being a work in progress.
Tips for Fat Loss
Do not center your gym workouts around crunches, the inner-outer thigh machine, balancing on one leg while curling little dumbbells and spending lengthy amounts of time on cardio equipment. (A 20 minute HIIT session will incite major fat-burning.)
Most exercises should be multi-joint: working more than one joint at once, rather than a ton of triceps kick-backs or arm curls.
Do NOT skip workouts. Don’t. No excuse. Never replace a strength training or HIIT workout with housework or yard work.
- This isn’t about whittling down to a waif.
- It’s about becoming lean and strong. Learn the difference!
Do not let “fit shamers” brainwash you into thinking that it’s wrong to hate a fat body and want a lean toned body.
More on the deadlift.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Shutterstock/solar22
Should Kids Wear Hearing Protection at Sporting Events ?
Are you afraid of what strangers will think if you put ear muffs on your young child at a loud sporting event to protect their hearing?
If so shame on you over and over.
For very young children, hearing protection needs to be in the form of the so-called ear muffs, since ear plugs can be removed and swallowed.
Older kids, of course, won’t be swallowing ear plugs. But all children should have protection in or over their ears from the loud screaming, hollering and other booming noise sources of sporting events.
If adults need hearing protection, why wouldn’t kids, preschoolers and babies? Don’t worry what strangers will think!
You should NEVER care what strangers think of any health-conscious actions you take for yourself or your children and babies.
If someone asks about “what’s on his ears” or “what are those for?” then graciously educate these ignorant people who can’t figure out the obvious. They may actually thank you.
It’s really mind bending why it’s virtually unheard of (no pun intended) for parents to require their kids to wear ear plugs or protection at sporting events.
• Many parents will make their kids wear sunscreen at sporting events.
• They’ll make them wear helmets while bicycle riding.
• They’ll make them wear knee and elbow pads for inline skating.
I realize that padding protects against instant, traumatic injury that can be seen right then and there.
But sunscreen protects against cumulative damage from an external agent, the sun. And I’m all for that, too.
So why don’t these same parents mandate ear plugs (or muffs) to protect against cumulative exposure of loud noise?
Let me guess: Hearing protection is visible, easily seen by strangers, while sunscreen is invisible!
For Pete’s sake, stop ranking the opinions of ignorant strangers above the heath of your child’s ears!
“Loud sounds of sporting events are part of the experience for many individuals,” says Rivka Strom, AuD, CCC-A, chief audiologist at Central Hearing LLC in NY.
“People want to feel the sounds around them including the loud roaring/cheering of fellow fans,” continues Strom.
“But many do not realize how dangerously loud these events truly are.
“One of the loudest sporting event was on September 29, 2014, where the loudest crowd roar was recorded at a Kansas City Chiefs game, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
“The roar clocked in at 142.2 dBA and was recorded with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter (Prusick, 2015).”
The loudest roar at an indoor sporting event was 126 decibels (Sacramento Kings vs. Detroit Pistons, Nov. 15, 2013).
Strom explains, “All individuals attending these events should be wearing hearing protection devices, but this is especially so for children who are at a greater risk when exposed to high noise levels.”
Most sporting events are not 126, let alone, 142 decibels.
However, Lindsay Prusick, an audiologist with Starkey Hearing Technologies, says on its website that “exposure to a sound that is 120 dB or louder causes immediate damage.”
You will not always detect that damage immediately. Think of the insidiousness of hearing loss as akin to the slowly creeping-up-on-you damage from sun exposure without sunscreen.
Years later it can result in ugly crinkles or cancer, but after just one afternoon in the sun without protection, you may only notice a little tan, a burn that disappears in a week, or no visible change at all.
And you certainly won’t be able to see DNA damage or a swath of leathery skin just from a single afternoon!
Sporting events, says Prusick on the site, though usually not 126 decibels, “are still very loud and can be hazardous to your hearing.”
How loud are sporting events?
• Basketball: 99-118
• Auto racing: 90-115
• Baseball: 85-107
• Football: 81-91
The Starkey site says that if you attend a basketball game of 97 decibels, “you can only be exposed to this level for 30 minutes before you run the risk of damaging your hearing” without ear plugs or muffs.
I can honestly tell you that I’ve never been in a fist fight over my hearing protection. Occasionally someone asks about it and I educate them.
So what are YOU afraid of?
If your older children balk at wearing hearing protection or ear plugs, ask yourself who’s the boss? You make them eat vegetables, right?
Then make ‘em wear hearing protection.
Children who learn EARLY in life about the value of hearing protection will less likely balk when they’re older and have to wear the ear plugs at sporting events (after you make them eat their broccoli and clean their room, of course!).
Dr. Strom is a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has received several awards including Brooklyn College’s Excellence In Audiology Award.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/ Lost_in_the_Midwest
Source: starkey.com/blog/2015/08/loudest-sporting-events
New Test Diagnoses ALS Faster than Ever; Not an EMG
Diagnosing ALS can take a long time, with misdiagnoses occurring too often.
The diagnosis of ALS “relies heavily on the physician’s clinical acuity,” says Professor Philip Van Damme from VIB-KU Leuven, UZ Leuven. (more…)