Body by Chemo

I Promise This One's About Fitness

If you read my last post, you know I spent the last 8 months on heavy duty chemo. If you've read my earlier posts, you know that I've been on a long journey that started at 5 foot, 9 inches and 300 pounds. When I put up this blog last year (that's October of 2019) I had gotten down to 198 pounds and less than 20% body fat.

It's Not a Dad Bod, It's a Hospital Bod

The whole fitness thing hasn't been fantastic since my cancer diagnosis. Multiple doses of major steroids (no, not THAT kind of steroids) and 14 rounds of chemo (which translates to no gym) helped me gain back about 35 pounds of fat. But there were a couple other twists in the road, too.

While I was in the hospital getting my first round of chemo, a mysterious virus in my system took advantage of my suddenly impaired immune system to explode all over my lungs. I had fallen asleep, but woke up to find four nurses holding me down as I thrashed around with a high fever and what they called "rigor". It took almost a month in the hospital to recover from that, during which I also picked up a couple of blood clots in my legs because, you know, I'm a bargain hunter. Why go to the hospital and only have one thing wrong with you?

Anyway, I spent most of my time lying perfectly still, and got thoroughly de-conditioned. In about four months I had gone from being able to lift a 515-pound barbell off the floor to not even being able to sit up in bed. I went home with a wheelchair, a walker, and four tanks of oxygen. I'm thrilled to say my breathing recovered remarkably quickly, as did my ability to walk. Which was good, because I still had at least a dozen rounds of chemo to go.

Here's Where We Talk Fitness

I really believe the fact that I had a strong body before this all started made a huge difference in my ability to recover. I also believe that my robust health before the cancer hit is going to make a big difference in my odds of achieving and staying in remission. There are never any guarantees, but it ain't gonna hurt my chances.

Today's Fitness Point #1: If someone you know is still waiting for the perfect moment to get started on a journey to fitness, they need to start now. Really, now. I've got a bunch of posts here on the blog that suggest ideas for making the journey less difficult--maybe even pleasant! Go! Go! Go!

After reading all the crap that's been going on with my health, especially regaining fat and losing strength, you might think I would be discouraged to the point of giving up. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have predicted that I would give up. Actually, the opposite has happened.

I deeply resented that feeling of helplessness when I couldn't even sit up without help. Something of value had been taken away, and I was pissed. So every time I checked back in to the hospital for more chemo, I made a point of going for a walk once or twice each day. I got my butt out of bed, grabbed that I.V. pole, and steered it up and down the hallway between my room and the elevator. 10 laps every time. And the staff, nurses, and doctors in the unit started to recognize me and often chatted with me.

Also, as I started to get used to the rhythm of my chemo cycles and my depression meds started to help me be more myself, I began to get the urge to exercise. I had missed that feeling of empowerment that comes with a good workout. I asked for some resistance bands for Father's Day and tried some basic exercises. I got tired way too quickly, but it felt good anyway. I've gradually worked my way up to something that looks like a real workout. And I value those workouts a million times more now that I've fought to get them back.

Today's Fitness Point #2: Setbacks happen. But whether you believe it or not, you—yes, you—have the patience and grit to turn a setback into a comeback. It will absolutely take longer than you want it to, but so long as you're willing to start with baby steps, you will get there. So take those baby steps as soon as you possibly can.

Whether you're just starting or starting over, you can do it! YES, YOU!!! Get started!

Thanks for reading,

The Friendly Lifter