Yoga May Reduce Fatigue, Inflammation in Breast Cancer Survivors

 Yoga may help breast cancer survivors beat the debilitating fatigue and sleep problems that often follow toxic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, a new study shows.

Fatigue can be a big challenge for cancer survivors.

“Even some years out from breast cancer treatment, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent of women report substantial levels of fatigue,” said study author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University in Columbus.

That may be due, in large part, to disrupted sleep. As many as 60 percent of cancer survivors say they have trouble sleeping, she noted, a rate that’s two to three times higher than their cancer-free peers.

The end result is that many cancer survivors end up trying to drag themselves through their days.

“And it’s a nasty downward spiral where increasing fatigue means less activity and less activity means increasing fatigue, so that over time less and less translates into greater frailty and decline,” Kiecolt-Glaser said.

Kiecolt-Glaser, who studies the health effects of stress, wanted to see if it was possible to stop that cycle.

She and her colleagues, including her husband and research collaborator, Ronald Glaser, recruited 200 women aged 27 to 76 who were new to yoga and had finished treatment for breast cancer within the last three years. They had to be at least two months past their last treatment and otherwise healthy to participate.

The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group practiced the gentle, flowing poses of Hatha yoga for two 90-minute sessions each week for three months. The second group was placed on a waiting list.

Before and after the study, all the women answered detailed questions about their energy and vitality, mental health, the kind of support they felt they were getting from friends and family, their sleep, how active they were and even their diet. Researchers also performed blood tests to measure markers of inflammation.

The differences weren’t immediately apparent. After three months of practice, women in the yoga group reported that they had more vitality and were sleeping better, compared to the group that was waiting to take the class.

And after their group sessions ended, most who were taking yoga gradually stopped practicing. Their physical activity went back to the level it was when they signed up for the study. Despite that, they continued to improve.

At the six-month mark, the women practicing yoga reported about 60 percent less fatigue than the women on the waiting list, and their measures of inflammation were 13 percent to 20 percent lower.

The longer they practiced yoga, the greater their improvements, Kiecolt-Glaser said.

The study was published Jan. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Previous studies have reported similar benefits.

“It’s pretty consistent now across a number of different studies that yoga can be useful for improving symptoms like fatigue and sleep disturbances, which are extremely prevalent in breast cancer survivors and cancer survivors, in general,” said Lorenzo Cohen, director of the integrative medicine program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Cohen said one question the study doesn’t answer is whether any kind of exercise might have yielded these benefits, or if it was something specific about yoga that made the difference.

“Ideally, a next step is to really see, is yoga something more than exercise? Is yoga something more than the physical aspect? From Eastern philosophies, our best guess is that yes, it will be something more than just exercise because it’s a mind-body practice, not just a body practice,” he said.

Cohen advises people who are new to yoga to start slowly.

“It’s important that you never push your body. Any physical exercise can result in harm if you push too hard,” he said. “You can get equal benefits if you touch your toes or not. Yoga is about the process and not the product.”

7 Exercise Myths Debunked

1 . Out Damned Spot! You may have heard that spot training, i.e. exercising certain muscles excessively to achieve optimal results, is the best way to reduce abdominal fat. The truth is, you would have to train your abs non-stop for more than 30 minutes each time, and even then it would only do a minor amount of improvement to the area. Truthfully, the best way to cut abdominal fat is to do a full-body weight workout, followed by some high intensity interval training. And like any muscle in your body, your abs should only be trained every other day - it is also a myth that you can train your abs daily. That just doesn't make physiological sense since your abdominal muscles are the same type of muscle tissue as the rest of your body's skeletal muscle, which you take days off from training.

2 . No Sweat. Many people have believed for decades, if not longer, that sweating more while you work out will make you lose more weight. These people will wear heavy clothes while they work out, or even worse, won't work out at all and will instead just sit in the sauna thinking that they're burning calories. The truth is, sweating more only causes you to lose more water, which puts you in danger of being dehydrated. And replenishing the water can potentially help flush out your organs, but not nearly as well as just plain exercising and eating well. And while we're talking about hydration, stay away from electrolyte drinks unless you're doing a seriously heavy workout - otherwise you're just adding unnecessary calories to your body.

3 . Yoga Good? No, Yoga Bad! Okay, this feels a little like blasphemy, but the truth is that yoga isn't for everyone. If you're in pain, there's probably some type of yoga you can do, but that doesn't mean that yoga is necessarily your answer to getting relief. In fact, some poses may even exacerbate your symptoms. The best solution? If you really want to do yoga, book a private session with someone who knows how to handle injured people - they'll be able to steer you away from the dangerous poses and towards the helpful ones.

4 . Rage Against the Machine. It's fairly commonly believed that the exercise machines at the gym are safer to use than dumbbells, barbells, exercise balls, and so on. But the truth is, unless the machine you're using is properly adjusted for your weight and height, chances are that you could injure yourself on a machine just as easily as you would with free weights. And another potential for injury that free weights don't have is that exercise machines have no give, that is they are fixed to a certain spot to move in a certain plane of motion. If you don't move precisely in that plane of motion as you use the machine, you could injure yourself. A better idea? Train with someone who knows what they're doing, or hire a personal trainer for 5 or 6 sessions to show you - it'll be worth the money.

5 . No Pain, Good Gain. Perhaps the most tenaciously held onto myth, the idea that you have to be aching, sore and generally feeling horrible the day after a workout is actually not true. Sure, some soreness is to be expected, but severe pain suggests injury, and that's just not a safe way to exercise. It can also be a huge de-motivator! If you want to see benefits, follow a reasonable plan that doesn't leave you feeling too sore afterwards. Then slowly build on that, giving yourself a week off every six to eight weeks. And while we're on the subject, if it ever hurts while you're doing the exercise, stop immediately - otherwise you might just injure yourself to a state that will keep you out of the gym for a long time.

6 . Just Let Go. Stretching is an often-confused area of ​​exercise, and it's no wonder since there are different and sometimes adamant schools of thought on the subject. Many believe that you should stretch before exercise, and that this stretch should be held for 30 to 60 seconds at a time. Let's tackle the former first: many studies show that stretching before a workout can lead to injury since your muscles are not warm, and at the very least does not do you any good, even if you don't hurt yourself. The best idea is to warm up doing light movements that get your blood moving, including things like tossing a light medicine ball around. As for how long to hold a stretch, it is actually healthier for your muscles and tendons (and better as a stretch) if you do your stretches in 3-5 second holds only, repeating them 7-10 times. This is called active isolated stretching, and is a much safer and beneficial way to stretch.

7 . Don't Be Naughty! You might feel like rewarding yourself with a cheese burger and fries after a workout. Why not? You've earned it, right? Sure, but having exercised, even with an intense workout, cannot make up for the ingestion of several hundred calories in a meal. In fact, you can consider eating right about 80% or more of what you're doing to get into shape. The exercise may feel like the work, but it's the discipline with your fork that's really going to make all the difference. Best idea? Exercise in fun ways that don't feel like work, and take a cooking class to learn how to cook healthy meals for yourself.

3 Simple Home Fitness Training Exercises for Women

Many women choose to go the route of  training at home, simply because it is the most practical option, especially for women who are constantly juggling their work and family life . With everything that 's going on, just not the time to pack a gym bag and drive to the nearest room and gym . Fortunately, there are some simple but effective exercises to do at home that are tailored to the fitness needs of women. If the goal is to lose weight , sculpt a body bikini ready , or just to keep fit , there are quick and easy options active woman of today can do at home . Here are some examples of great exercises for women . 1) Pilates - This training has become one of the most popular exercise routines for women in recent years. This is because this type of training not only helps in weight loss efforts , but also helps improve flexibility, tone muscles and increase strength and lower the upper body of a person. In addition to the exercises performed using giant machines in the gym , there are a number of exercises that can be done at home with a carpet, a medicine ball and a Pilates ring . Pilates For a quick fix , check out one of the many exercises Pilates videos 10-30 minutes online or buy an instructional DVD for a complete workout routine. 2) dance exercises - Regular aerobic exercise can be boring , so fitness experts have decided to inject a little fun into the training routines of fitness generally repetitive and monotonous at home that people are accustomed. Combining fun and dance with exciting exercise movements that will surely get the blood pumping , the workout routines that dance Umbra , Hip Hop Abs Shawn T. 'S, and other video developed with the help of celebrities and professional dancers exercises, women can now exercise every 20 to 60 minutes. 3) Yoga - This ancient tradition of India has become one of the most popular home workouts today . Combines stretching and meditation helps develop a more healthy body and mind. There are many variations of yoga to choose from and each has its own advantages for health and fitness. In the past, people could not learn from a guru yoga , also known as a yogi. Today, many yoga practitioners are able to meditate and ask your way to fitness , even in the comfort of your own home. Beginners can also start their daily routine of yoga at home by purchasing an instructional video to use as a guide. The convenience of being able to perform fat burning , muscle toning exercises and strength training in the comfort of your own home made training fitness home a popular choice, especially for women . The possibility of hiring a personal trainer to guide them throughout the training process also make things much easier , especially for women who are too tired or trite to get up and exercise. There are many options available for women who want to stay in shape without having to leave home. All you need to do is find a fitness program that works for them . The Fit FEMA Studio can get fit in the privacy of your own home. With personal training studio in Long Island home , women can lose weight without going to the gym. Personal training at home is very effective and adequate .