Lessons in Wellness: 5 Things We Can Learn from Inspiring Survivors
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I realize that I was inspired more than once over the past thirty days, by stories like the one I am about to share with you. People like Jill, the shining star of this blog post, can teach us all a bit about what it means to engage in our own wellness story. Read on and see if you agree.
What does a 50 something woman recovering from breast cancer treatment look like? I can tell you, because I met her a few weeks ago at Glen Ivy Hot Springs.
Jill was a woman who approached me after my aqua class with a story she was eager to share. She told me that she had been taking aqua fitness classes over the past year as part of her recovery from breast cancer surgery, and that the warm, therapeutic aqua environment had been extremely helpful in improving her flexibility and range of motion. It had also helped alleviate a painful condition she had developed called lymphedema. Jill’s voice was strong and confident. Her demeanor was upbeat, empowered, and life affirming.
To be honest, my first thought was, “What’s wrong with this picture?” This perky, fit, youthful woman, in her mid-fifties, did not look like she had just endured the rigors of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Instead, she looked like a picture of health!
And then it hit me. The question I should be asking is not, “What’s wrong with this picture?” It should be, “What’s right with this picture?” I began to think that maybe there’s a wellness lesson in Jill’s story. Perhaps the strategies she, and others like her, use to vigorously recapture their precious health and quality of life, would also work for the rest of us simply trying to make better choices in our crazy-busy lives.
Like many of you, I have people in my life–family, friends, clients–who have faced the challenge of serious illness. I see them navigating their path with courage and strength, but I also see them making conscious choices that lead to favorable outcomes. Here are my top picks for what I think these wellness warriors are doing right. Maybe you’ll connect with a few to help you along your wellness path:
- Engage in your wellness. Survivors decide to face the problem by being part of the solution. They take specific steps each day to play an active role in their recovery. Rest, eat well, exercise gently, embody positivity. Day to day wellness doesn’t just happen on its own. Embrace healthy choices as if your life depended on it–because it does!
- Gather your tribe. Survivors can’t go it alone and they know it. Any wellness journey requires the help of a supportive team of cheerleaders and people willing to listen. Find two people who will support your journey. Spend more time with them. Think of two people who don’t. You got it . . . Nice knowin’ ya!
- Have a winning attitude. Sure, cancer survivors “fight” for their health. But more importantly, they are in it to win it. Negativity does not serve them, so they move forward with an openness that invites new ways of thinking and being. Practice working with that “mean girl voice.” Send her off on a slow boat to China, and invite more positivity to your wellness path. It really does work.
- When you’re down, get up! Cancer survivors endure an unpredictable path throughout their recovery process. While they may become tired or discouraged at times, they remain focused on their wellness mission and are able to stand up, dust off, and get back to the business of healing. Any wellness journey is like this. One minute you’re peeling and chopping carrots for the week, the next you have your spoon in the Ben and Jerry’s. You’re not a failure. You’re not worthless. You just had a hard day and ice cream seemed like the best way to go. Get over it! Move on!
Cancer–that big, bad, demon of a disease that we really need to find a cure for–often gives people the permission they need to finally put themselves first. When they begin to take care of themselves–I mean really take care of themselves–they often emerge on the other side looking like Jill, the shining star of this story. I say it’s time to let go of the limiting belief that it’s selfish to take care of ourselves until we are sick.
One of my students put it this way. She said, “When I say NO to some of the extra things I am doing for other people, it enables me to say YES to the things I need to do for myself.” Amen sister! Her words so inspired me, that I am stealing them for my new wellness mantra. I’m sure she would not mind one bit if you did too!
Write About It . . .
Think about someone who inspires you by the way they have faced a difficult health challenge–it may even be yourself! What are they doing right? Is it their attitude, their mental or spiritual approach, or a healthy behavior that seems to be helping them along the way? Could you use any of their wisdom for your own journey? Where do you stumble or feel challenged when it comes to making good choices? I’d love to hear what you are writing about.
From Inspiration to Motivation
Note: I originally wrote this post for the blog at Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa. As we move through October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I would post again. I am always inspired by people like my sister-in-law, who get out there and put one foot in front of the other in support of friends who are facing big health challenges. Maybe you will be too.
“Motivation is the push. Inspiration is the pull” Natalie DeBruin
A few years ago, my sister-in-law’s good friend called her with an invitation. Would Lynn join her and a group of friends to walk 60 miles in a Susan G. Komen Foundation 3-Day For The Cure? The plan would be to meet regularly and train for the event, then cross the finish line together in celebration of her 15 year anniversary of being cancer free. “At first it sounded overwhelming,” said Lynn. “I was exercising a little bit at the time, but this was 60 miles of walking over 3 days! I was not sure I would be able to do it, but how could I say no?”
As it turned out, her friend’s triumph over breast cancer was the inspiration Lynn needed to take on a bold fitness challenge. And with that seed of inspiration, came a strong sense of motivation to train consistently toward her goal for six months. As Deepak Chopra, well-know spirituality author suggests, “Instead of motivation, look for inspiration. Inspiration comes from the same word as spirit. When you are inspired, the spirit moves you.”
When it comes to beginning an exercise program, many of us are hard pressed to find the motivation to get started. But exercising for a cause you really care about could be just the internal “tug” you need to get moving. While the primary goal of these events is to raise money and awareness for a particular organization, it certainly would not be selfish if you raised your fitness level at the same time! Events such as 3-Day For The Cure or the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training, not only provide a memorable experience, but often have all the ingredients that ensure your new and improved fitness program lasts long after you cross the finish line.
A Specific Goal: Perhaps you’ve heard the term “SMART’ goals–Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic and Timed with a deadline. With a date, time and distance to commit to, you have a SMART goal on steroids! There will be no turning back after you hit the “Sign Me Up” button on your computer.
Free Guidance and Training Advice: Many people don’t exercise because they don’t know how to get started. Visit a charity event’s website and you will see that once you sign on, you will have access to progressive training programs, e-mail reminders, certified coaches and other virtual training support free of charge.
Built In Support System: One of the biggest indicators of ongoing success in any fitness endeavor is the strength of your support system. Lynn’s training team met two to three times each week to walk together. She acknowledged that having a set time and a group of people waiting for her helped her stay committed to her goal.
Success! Three days, 60 miles, and two sore feet later, Lynn crossed the finish line with an enormous sense of accomplishment. “Knowing that I completed the distance along with thousands of other people, some still fighting their disease, made me feel incredible. I also felt proud to have helped raise over 8 million dollars to support breast cancer research and community programs.”
In the end, Lynn accomplished her original goal of supporting her friend’s journey back to good health and raising money for an important cause. At the same time, she acknowledged that she also stepped up her own fitness program. “I noticed that my endurance improved while training for the event, and to this day, my group of friends and I still meet for coffee and our weekly walk.”
Lynn’s story demonstrates that we are often nudged to get moving because of someone else’s story. But ultimately, the push to keep moving comes from discovering our own. While my pragmatic side loves the idea that exercising for a cause could inspire more people to get moving, I can’t help but be “moved” on a deeper level by the wellness lessons inherent in an experience like hers.
As Lynn walked the streets of Philadelphia with thousands of like minded people, she felt a deep sense of gratitude for her own good health. “Watching a husband push his wife in a wheelchair along the course for three days, made me realize how lucky I was to be able to walk the distance myself.”
Write About It . . .
Have you ever taken on a fitness challenge for a cause? Did it get you moving with your own fitness, or have a positive impact on your wellness? Share your story. It could be just the inspiration someone else needs to give this path a try.
Write Your Own Wellness Story 