*** I initially wrote this post in October 2014. *** My doctor had discovered a lump in my left breast, and I was awaiting my mammogram appointment. . .the outcome of which would change the entire trajectory of my life. Thought I’d bring it back in 2022. . .memories. . . October has two highlights; my wedding anniversary and Halloween. Other than serving as ammunition for bad (taste) jokes, they have nothing in common. October is also breast cancer awareness month, which has much in common with Halloween. I don’t know a single woman, myself included, for whom the thought of a breast cancer di ..read more

Fad diets constantly cycle through the breast cancer community. In this post, I offer three that you may not have considered, yet just may be following yourself. Unhealthy, unsustainable dieting habits all start somewhere. Allow me to introduce you to a few that won’t do you or your health any favors. Loss of control. That feeling appears on the heels of a breast cancer diagnosis so quickly I think the doctor delivering the “It is cancer” news should in the same breath say, “For the rest of your life, prepare to surrender any assumptions that you ever held even a modicum of control over your ..read more

Show me your muscles! If you’re a woman of a certain age, flexing your muscles for show probably isn’t something you do on the regular.  That’s not “ageist”.  It’s honest. There’s an entire segment of women in the breast cancer population who didn’t grow up hitting the weight room to build strength and manage stress.  Even if you now belong to a gym (COVID considered), weight training still may not be part of your routine. Lifting weights can feel intimidating. You don’t know: the right amount of weight to use which exercises work which muscles what’s safe or what’s crazy So ..read more

“I figure if I keep my spirit in shape, the bones will take care of themselves.” (1) Do you have any idea what I would give to know that my bones would take care of themselves? To know that even in an aging body, my bones would remain strong, solid and dense. To trust that my bones would keep me upright and fearless regardless of my choice of physical activities. I’d give A LOT. The possibility of weakened bones is a concern for ALL women, yet for those of us in the breast cancer community, the onset of cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL) is a real threat. Not only the treatments, but t ..read more

At the time of my diagnosis, I owned a boutique personal training studio where clients trained privately 1:1, and/or participated in small group classes. We catered to the 45+ crowd. The “+” was spot on; I had vivacious, vibrant clients in their 70’s! What I and my trainers excelled at was customizing workouts to meet the fitness level and ability of every client, regardless of their chronological or physical age and limitations. If you’re in the 45+ crowd, perhaps you’ve noticed over the years that the benefits you want from your workouts have changed. In the past, your focus was perhaps on ..read more

Purchasing a few pieces of inexpensive, in-home fitness equipment will change your life. I’m not exaggerating. Exercise and nutrition are two sides of the same coin. If you want to be proactive about your wellbeing and in charge of your health, you can’t have one without the other. In a perfect world, you would balance exercise and nutrition with ease and little effort. The reality is, you get distracted and sidelined. Your attempts to eat nutritiously and exercise consistently begin to require more effort and less ease. As a result, you end up abandoning all nutritio ..read more

Cake is just cake. There’s chocolate cake. Vanilla cake. And my personal favorite. . .coconut cake. There’s cake for your birthday (a cake-worthy day if there ever was one), cake for end of treatment (seriously, get a BIG cake for that), and cake for the sheer love of cake (yes, really). What you may not realize is that CAKE is actually a metaphor for TERROR. FOOD FEAR DECODED I like cake, but I’m particular about the cake I choose to eat. I prefer homemade by me. Since I greatly reduce the amount of sweetener I use in my baked treats, commercial bakery cakes are too sweet for my liking. I a ..read more

Let’s talk RESILIENCE.  Definition: The ability to overcome adversity.  Oh, you know adversity, don’t you? You’re a survivor of ER/PR+ breast cancer. You’ve been through grueling treatment. Heard the words, “It is cancer.” Done the hardest thing you never thought you could do. Now, you’re ready to move forward. And yet, you can’t quite seem to find your equilibrium. What is going on? What’s wrong with you? THIS IS NEW TERRITORY Nothing. Nothing is wrong with you. You’ve lived for so long now with an unrelenting feeling of anxiety and uncertainty. Felt unsettled about the future. F ..read more

Ready to focus on your ticker? It’s time to learn more about the effects of trans & saturated fats! This blog is devoted to all things breast health after treatment for ER/PR+ cancer, but remember, there’s a link between heart disease and breast cancer, which I wrote about here. It’s just as important to pay attention to the recommendations for feeding your heart as it is to feeding your breasts – one indirectly helps the other. February is AMERICAN HEART MONTH, the perfect time to do a bit of education on the role diet plays, especiallly those confusing DIETARY F-A-T-S. Ma ..read more

Vegetarian and vegan diets alike offer benefits. If you’re interested in using diet to improve obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol – all of which increase risk for heart health related disease, and in the case of obesity and uncontrolled diabetes, breast cancer – go for it. Eating certain foods can make you healthier? Potentially reduce your risk of recurrence? Help with heart health? Yep. As a dietitian working with post-treatment survivors of ER/PR+ breast cancer, I closely follow nutrition trends. As you can imagine, I’m especially tuned in to breast cancer diet and ..read more