BREAST cancer and treatment may be a traumatic experience, but an exercise program starting next month will help patients reclaim their fitness and strength.
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The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of NSW will run the Encore program at Fitness Perfection from February 6.
Free to join, the eight-week program will involve hydrotherapy sessions every Tuesday until March 27 from 1pm-3pm.
Facilitator Rosslyn Kemp said the program had run for more than 10 years.
“It doesn’t matter whether they went through treatment five years ago or last month,” she said.
“If they’ve done it before and we have room, they can do it again.”
Mrs Kemp said women not only had to deal with the emotional and physical upheaval of a cancer diagnosis, but the interruption treatment brings to daily life.
“It cuts down what you normally do and you get out of sync with what your life used to be like,” she said.
Mrs Kemp said the program worked because it helped women to get on with their lives.
It’s two hours that you don’t need to think about anything else.
- Rosslyn Kemp
“It’s time out – it’s two hours that you don’t need to think about anything else,” she said.
“It’s like having a prescription to look after yourself – I think the most beneficial result is much more confidence about their ability to do anything, whether they’re going back to work or taking up a sport.”
She said pool sessions were formulated specifically for cancer-related issues and they allowed women to exercise without feeling like they were.
“We take the stress of gravity off you and it’s very restful,” she said.
“We’ve had women who have said they couldn’t get up off a chair in week one and could stand up 15 times by the end.”
While each program has a strong focus on exercise, the sessions also include information sharing through guest speakers and links into community services and resources.
Mrs Kemp said women also formed friendships.
“It’s not a support group as such, but people know how to talk to you,” she said.
The program can be tailored to all fitness levels, from the fit to those with restricted movement and is funded by NSW Health.
For more information or to enrol, call 1800 305 150 or email encore@ywcansw.com.au