Chickens and eggs

A friend has pointed out that I keep saying that now I'm feeling better, I'm walking a lot. Well I am walking a lot! However, he's raised an interesting point, in that he's suggested that I might be feeling better because I'm walking a lot. And, of course, this is true.

However, I do think the process is somewhat circular; when you've had cancer and / or radiotherapy, you really don't feel well by the end of the treatment. When you don't feel well, you don't want to walk - and when you don't want to walk or take any exercise, you don't feel well and you probably have a rather dismal outlook on life. I know I did, particularly before surgery, when I was horribly anaemic and too tired and confused to contemplate even the tiniest bit of exercise.

Once I'd begun to recover from all the surgical and medical interventions in my life, I did realise that I had a choice; not only could I be a person who has had cancer but doesn't have it any more, but I could choose whether I was a person who was going to flop around, feeling ill and sorry for myself or whether I was going to try to improve my overall health in the hope that this would also improve my outlook on life. As you've no doubt gathered from my frequent references to walking, I chose the latter course of action.

I began with gentle walks to the end of the street, stopping every twenty metres or so the first time I went out. Over several days, I developed this until I was able to walk up and down the street two or three times without stopping. Only then did I venture any further, and I invested in walking poles to help me. I admit that I had a bit of a relapse when I had my cold, but, since then, I'm striding out again. It does make a difference, and walking is an easy way of taking exercise. I loathe going to the gym or doing strenous things like rock climbing, running, boxing and even swimming, but even I can take a walk! And, as I've been saying for the last few months, it really has helped me to start to feel well again - though I did have to make a conscious decision to do it.

So, if ever you're facing cancer and its treatment, you may find that you don't really feel like doing anything at all once it's all over; however, I'd urge you to make the decision to get out and do something, anything - it really does make a difference!