the constant
I’m not sure what the exact reason is for my desire to earn one certification after another. As a kid I did love to learn but my ADHD would let me down the minute I opened a book or sat down for class. I couldn’t focus for anything and had to trick myself by gamifying my studying. I would tell myself that I could go for a run, have a drink of water, or eat a meal once I completed whatever I was trying to do. I did love the idea of learning, it was just a major struggle getting through stuff.
Now that online learning has exploded and I can basically learn anything I want to from the comfort of my home, at my own pace, and without worrying whether or not I missed something or if I’m going to get called on, well, it’s been a game changer for me. I am so happy that I can dive into topics that interest me and that help make me better at the work I do.
A couple of months ago I signed up for two certifications, Ultrarunning Coach and Cancer Exercise Specialist certifications. I was about half way through the ultrarunning course when my head was just spinning from all of the information. It’s an awesome course and extremely technical. So, I decided to switch gears to learn about cancer exercise. This course is equally as challenging and technical, but in a different way.
Several years ago I purchased the materials for ACSM’s Cancer Exercise Specialist certification but I became overwhelmed by the large book I had to get through and I was terrified to read about cancer. My mom had breast cancer when I was in 6th grade and she was 39. I’d lived my life on a very extreme scale of health out of fear of also getting cancer young. I think my mind is less wild with the thought but my lifestyle is very much all about prevention. Anything that’s in my control, I do or don’t do. It’s debatable whether or not that is “healthy” for me. ;)
At 45 and after a lot of work, i.e. therapy, I felt like I had the capacity to learn about this topic. I’m so grateful to ACSM and the American Cancer Society for putting this online course together because it was incredible. I learned more than I imagined I would. I used to think that during cancer treatment, patients should not exercise. That is 100% FALSE and exercise helps relieve many symptoms caused by treatment. Of course I knew that exercise is good for all of us, but I didn’t realize that it can actually help reduce the risk of cancer from coming returning. I never understood the various treatments available to patients, the side effects, and the effects of exercise on patients, and now I do. Basically, I didn’t take the time to understand cancer because I was too traumatized by my experience, and I’m so glad that I took the time now.
They say that cancer generally effects older people, but I have known way too many young people touched by cancer, like my mom, and I want to help them. My mom is a survivor, but she didn’t have a lot of people around her who understood what she was going through. Now, there are a lot of ways to connect with people and feel supported. But I’ve noticed that exercise is still kind of shoved aside when the diagnosis occurs. That way of thinking is changing and I want to be a part of that change. Depression, anxiety, and bone loss are just some of the side effects cancer patients experience and data shows that exercise does help alleviate those symptoms.
I’m really happy that I’m prepared to work with people affected by cancer. I feel like this has been a long time coming and now I can give back and support a community that is dear to my heart. <3
