Moving Through Cancer: An Exercise and Strength-Training Program for the Fight of Your Life - Empowers Patients and Caregivers in 5 Steps

by Kathryn Schmitz

Overview

Cancer diagnosis and treatment doesn't have to be a passive experience, and it shouldn't be. Dr. Kathryn Schmitz's Moving Through Cancer introduces a 21-day program of strength training and exercise for cancer prevention and recovery.

Go from diagnosis to thriving with this empowering guide to using strength training and exercise to improve your mental and physical health before, during, and after cancer diagnosis and treatment.

This groundbreaking program will show you how to use exercise and movement to:

• Recover more quickly from surgery
• Withstand chemotherapy (or other drug treatments) or radiation with fewer side effects
• Bounce back to daily life following cancer treatments
• Prevent loss of function or fitness due to treatment
• Return to work more quickly or stay at work throughout treatment
• Protect against late side effects of treatment that come years after diagnosis

Leading exercise oncology researcher Dr. Kathryn Schmitz shows you how to prepare for cancer treatment and begin regularly exercising in just 21 days using five key steps: Move, Lift, Eat, Sleep, and Log. Both informative and practical, Moving Through Cancer explains the science of healing and prevention and delivers a paradigm-shifting message for patients, doctors, and caregivers about using exercise to live with and beyond cancer.

FOR READERS OF: Anticancer Living and The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen.

A PRACTITIONER AND CAREGIVER: Dr. Kathryn Schmitz is a pracademic (practitioner + academic) and a caregiver: In 2010, the publication of one of her trials in The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association overturned years of entrenched dogma and conventional wisdom that told breast cancer survivors to avoid upper body exercise. In 2016, Dr. Schmitz's wife, Sara, was diagnosed with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma—she is currently NED (no evidence of disease) and cancer free. Moving Through Cancer is inspired by Dr. Schmitz's professional and personal experience with cancer.

HELPS PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS TO COMBAT THE POWERLESSNESS OF THE CANCER JOURNEY: Dr. Schmitz's empowering message will not only resonate with anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer but with their family and loved ones as well. Dr. Schmitz is able to give life back to readers by providing results that include better sleep, better sex, less chemo brain, reduced nausea, and improved recovery.

PARADIGM-SHIFTING PROTOCOL: Moving Through Cancer is the center of Dr. Schmitz's campaign to have doctors prescribing exercise to cancer patients as common practice by 2029.

THE FIRST MAINSTREAM EXERCISE-FOR-CANCER BOOK: Until now, exercise-for-cancer books have been limited to academic approaches or one-cancer-specific (breast) or one-exercise specific (yoga, pilates) books. Moving Through Cancer is for all cancer patients and survivors and their caregivers.

GREAT FOR THE CLASSROOM: Students and teachers will want to use these techniques in their classrooms to provide a better understanding of how to treat cancer patients.

Perfect for: 18+, Health enthusiasts, rehab, exercise, academia, medical professionals

Digital audio edition introduction read by the author.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797210254
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	417,347
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, FACSM, is the Associate Director of population sciences at the Penn State Cancer Institute and past president at the American College of Sports Medicine. Her protocols for exercise in cancer care are already being used by several major institutions and practitioners. Dr. Schmitz has made it her personal mission to use exercise for cancer prevention and recovery, for all cancers. Dr. Schmitz holds a BA in economics from the University of North Carolina, an MS in exercise physiology from Queens College, a PhD in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, and an MPH from the University of Minnesota. She is also an in-demand speaker for cancer patients and physicians around the world. She has given presentations about her work at conferences like the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Society of Lymphology, and the American Cancer Society. She has also been featured on Good Morning America and NPR and in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Table of Contents

Part 1 How Exercise Helps

Chapter 1 It Starts with a Phone Call 1

Chapter 2 Now What? 15

Chapter 3 The Scientific Evidence 29

Chapter 4 Finding Motivation 45

Part 2 The Moving through Cancer Program

Chapter 5 Prehabilitation (Training Before Treatment) 59

Chapter 6 Surgery 79

Chapter 7 Chemo and Other Infusion Therapies 101

Chapter 8 Radiation 119

Chapter 9 Hormonal Therapies 133

Chapter 10 Reconstruction 149

Chapter 11 Post-Treatment 159

Chapter 12 Survivorship 175

Part 3 Supports and Successes

Chapter 13 Sleep 189

Chapter 14 Nutrition 199

Chapter 15 Caregivers 215

Chapter 16 Athletes 225

Acknowledgments 241

Notes 243

About the Authors 259

Editorial Reviews

Smart, compassionate, practical, and inspiring, Moving Through Cancer is a terrific introduction to the surprising new science of exercise and cancer and how—and why—to stay active during and after treatment. An indispensable resource for cancer patients, survivors, and everyone who loves them.” —GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, The New York Times health columnist

“Finally, a book that celebrates and proves the importance of ‘Moving Through Cancer’! I love how this book breaks down the science of why it’s so important to keep moving though treatment, highlighting the benefits for the body and the mind. I found the real stories of athletes who kept exercising through their treatment so relatable and inspiring. The book left me feeling hopeful and armed with confidence in the power of movement! This is a must-read for anyone facing cancer!” —KIKKAN RANDALL, US Olympic Gold Medalist in Cross-Country Skiing

“A practical, scientifically-based, heartfelt book to help patients successfully move through cancer. A must-read for both patients and caregivers!” —SUSAN GILCHRIST, MD, MD Anderson Cancer Center

“Dr. Kathryn Schmitz is one of the world's leading researchers and advocates for the benefits of exercise for cancer patients. In her must-read book, Dr. Schmitz outlines the importance of beginning evidence-based, prescribed exercise programs before treatments commence, as well as through all stages of treatment and post-treatment. Her program will hopefully become a guiding light for all cancer patients." —JAY K. HARNESS, MD, FACS

“In Moving Through Cancer, world renowned expert Dr. Kathryn Schmitz shares what she has learned from her many research studies, her experience leading the American College of Sports Medicine, and her advocacy for exercise and cancer. This book is a must-read for cancer patients and survivors, their caregivers, and clinicians providing exercise advice and support.” —ANNE MCTIERNAN, MD, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and author of Cured: A Doctor's Journey from Panic to Peace

“Every cancer patient and caregiver needs to read this book. If you’re affected by cancer, it will inspire you to get moving, show you what you need to do (even on your darkest days), and hold your hand every step of the way. If you treat cancer patients, it will remind you why exercise should be the first treatment you recommend.” —DR. LIZ O'RIORDAN, coauthor of The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer

“I have personally felt the helplessness of having cancer. Exercise was something I could control to help me face treatment and recover. This book beautifully translates a large body of research on exercise for cancer patients and gives them a practical approach to get started and stick with it! I highly recommend this book for any cancer patient and for oncology health care providers." —NATALIE MARSHALL, MD

“After twenty-six years researching the benefits of exercise for cancer patients, Dr. Kathryn Schmitz and her wife Sara experience firsthand the restorative power of exercise as a part of cancer treatment. Providing both inspiration and guidance to patients facing their own cancer journeys, this personal narrative helps answer the all-too-common question asked by cancer patients: ‘Doctor, what can I do myself to help me feel better?’” —JENNIFER LIGIBEL, MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School

From the Publisher