The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 35

4/6/18

Dear Friends and Family,

My New Year’s Resolution for 2018 is to exercise.  I have been busy exercising through the LIVESTRONG program at the YMCA.  The program lasted 12 weeks and classes were held twice a week.  The program introduced me to TRX and water aerobics where we learned proper weightlifting and stretching techniques.  Also, we focused on cardio.  The LIVESTRONG coaches were amazing and very encouraging.  It was also nice to be with a group of women that had walked a similar path as me and were wanting to have a more healthy lifestyle.  We were the 13th graduating class and received a certificate and  yellow rubber ducky with a graduation cap on it.  I definitely will miss my workout friends and the coaches.  The program held me to be accountable and committed to my fitness.  We were assessed in the beginning of the program and at the end of the program and I made progress in all areas. 

I also participated in a 5K run.  My goal was to run the entire race without walking and I did!  I bruised a tendon in my right foot a few weeks before the race, but I continued to focus on cardio by using the rowing machine and swimming since I wasn’t able to run.  My husband and I had a lot of fun at the race.

I am participating in a weight loss program at work called “New Year, New You”. One thing that has been discouraging, is regardless of all of the exercising I have done in the past few months, I have not kept my weight loss off.   I lost some weight, but now I am back to my original weight when I started in January.  My oncologist said that weight gain is a common side effect of Tamoxifen (which I have to take for 10 years to prevent my breast cancer from returning) because it slows down your metabolism.  I feel that I eat somewhat healthy.  Weight gain is one of those Life AFTER Cancer things, but I will continue to workout and not let it get the best of me. 

Also, my husband and I got another dog!  It was definitely an impulse buy, but we both fell in love with her.  The puppy’s name is Moxie and she is 11 weeks old.  She is a Havanese.  Maverick and Macy are slowly getting used to her..

Anchored in HOPE,

JW