Ellen Petrick is the director of personal fitness at the Tennis and Fitness Centre in Oak Park. She is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer, most recently becoming a certified cancer exercise specialist through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. She is offering four sessions at her health club on cancer and exercise, available to members and non-members alike. The sessions are on Monday nights from 6-7 p.m., the next one is on Monday, Jan. 23. Registration information is below.
The Cancer and Exercise program began last week with a general overview on cancer treatments and how exercise can help with the short term and long term side effects of those treatments. Session II will cover lymphedema, which is swelling, usually in the extremities; Session III will be hands on range of motion exercises and stretches; Session IV will cover posture and core strength.
Petrick says exercisers who are recovering from cancer differ from the healthy population in the ‘why’ they exercise, not just the ‘how.’ Survival rightly takes center stage during treatment, but many patients overlook the need for improving quality of life during treatment. The extreme fatigue associated with chemotherapies is well known, but lesser known side effects of severe swelling and restricted range of motion also figure into a patient’s experience. The swelling can be a direct effect of the chemo or radiation, or from the loss of or damage to the lymph nodes as a result of surgery. Petrick states that it is critical for the patient to recognize and understand how to correctly combat these side effects. For example, in some patients, lymphedema can show up years after treatment and left untreated, it can be irreversible. Long-term side effects of cancer treatments include dramatically increased risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, as well as damage to the heart and lungs.
Petrick says that exercise is one of the best ways to increase energy and in general to help cancer patients manage the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. There is even newer research that indicates treatments work better when a patient is exercising. Exercise also improves heart and lung function, and decreases the risk of osteoporosis and diabetes.
Petrick came into exercise and health a little curiously. A self-proclaimed non-athlete, she studied biology and education then taught chemistry, physics and biology at OPRF High School from 1998-’02. Her interest in exercise came after a bout of autoimmune issues led her on a yearlong odyssey to find a physician who could help her. A combination of exercise and medication brought her distressing situation under control. She pursued a master’s degree in exercise physiology from UIC with a specialty in exercise for people with physical disabilities. An internship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago gave her hands on experience working with clients suffering from spinal cord injuries, strokes, cerebral palsy, MS, cancer and brain injuries. After her mother was diagnosed with cancer during graduate school, she became interested in a research project on cancer and exercise. Petrick found the documentation of how much exercise moderated the effects of cancer treatments incredible. Now she is teaching those principles to her clients.
The Cancer and Exercise program at the Tennis and Fitness Centre is open to members and non-members. The cost is $15 per session, with 10 percent going to the American Cancer Society. Call the club at 386-2175 to register.
For more information on cancer and exercise, contact Petrick at: ellen-petrick@excite.com. To find a cancer exercise specialist near you, visit: www.thecancerspecialist.com.