Exercise your options

Studies show that regular exercise can help breast cancer survivors live longer and reduce the risk of recurrence. It can also help reclaim your sense of wellbeing. Here, three inspiring women reveal how pushing themselves after their breast cancer diagnosis made them stronger on every level.

“My teammates inspired me.”

— Dale Parenti, 52

Seven years ago, while undergoing radiation treatments for ductal carcinoma in situ, the earliest form of breast cancer, Dale Parenti began dragon boating three days a week with a team of local breast cancer survivors, who call themselves Hope Afloat.

“I had heard about dragon boat teams for breast cancer survivors and thought it sounded like fun,” says the 52-year-old creative services manager.

Dragon boating, a sport originating in China, involves 20 paddlers in a large boat, all rowing to cross the finish line first. Boats are adorned with a dragon head and a tail at race time. The sport is easy to learn, you don’t have to have good hand-eye coordination like you would for a sport like tennis.

“I went to the first practice thinking, ‘I’m athletic. How bad can it be?’ ” Parenti says, underestimating the effort required. “Afterwards, I felt like such a wimp.” Parenti realized that with working long hours and taking care of her two kids, she was out of shape.

“In my spare time, I had been doing more knitting than anything else,” she says. But after just four dragon boat team practices, she could feel the years melting away. “I felt happier and more energetic, like I was 20 years younger. And I never experienced fatigue from my radiation treatments, which is a common side effect,” she says. “The push from my teammates spurred me on.”

Parenti was hooked. She now competes in dragon boat races across the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

“It’s hard on the upper body, because dragon boating requires shorter strokes than regular rowing. There’s also a lot of twisting and core work. I’m always sore, but in a good way,” she says.

Life lesson: “When you get breast cancer, you want to be the fighter for your family. You don’t want to look weak. But deep down, you’re always afraid it’s going to come back. The dragon boat team is one place where it’s okay to say, ‘I got a scare today,’ and everyone understands. I’m motivated by my team. We strengthen ourselves and support each other.”

Interested in dragon boating? Visit the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission at www.ibcpc.com.

• • •

“Cycling helped me get my groove back.” — Rachel McLeod, 42

While recovering from a bilateral mastectomy in 2007, Rachel McLeod, a casual gym-goer, returned to spinning class at her local gym, because her friends insisted on it.

“At a time when I just wanted to give up on everything, my friends encouraged me to just go to class and listen to the music,” says the 42-year-old, stay-at-home mom. Soon enough, though, McLeod, with a scarf tied around her head and bloated from steroid medication, was spinning again right along with her pals several times a week. In time, a friend suggested that McLeod participate in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a 163-mile annual bike-a-thon cancer fund-raiser that supports cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The two-day bike race transverses the state of Massachusetts, from Wellesley to Provincetown.

“The idea lodged in my head. The Pan-Mass Challenge became a goal.” For the next five months, McLeod attended spinning class three to four times each week with a purpose, to train for the challenge while also bicycling outdoors regularly for 25-mile rides. McLeod wasn’t out to win.

“My objective was to do the race at my own pace,” she says.

The race, which is held every August, proved to be grueling, especially toward the end of the second day, as McLeod tackled the undulating hills and dunes around Provincetown.

“It was boiling hot, and there was a crosswind,” she says. Memories of her cancer treatment, including “big red needles” and the blue chair she sat in during chemo treatment bubbled up. But other cyclists, especially those with photos of deceased loved ones fastened to their backs, encouraged her to keep peddling.

“It made me realize that what I was dealing with, and even my own experience with cancer, was nothing compared to what they had been through,” she says. When McLeod finally crossed the finish line, “I definitely felt a huge sense of physical achievement.”

Life lesson: “Cycling gave me the mental well-being to deal with the memories of cancer treatment and put them behind me.”

Want to cycle for a cause? Find out about charity bike rides in your area at www.bikin‌gbis.com.

• • •

“I always wanted to ride.”

— Risa Hoag, 50

After a ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis in 2005 followed by two lumpectomies and radiation, the 50-year-old public relations executive began to re-evaluate everything.

“I thought about my kids, my husband, and my mother, and how my diagnosis affected all of them, and what I really wanted to do with my life. I realized that I’ve always wanted to ride horses,” Hoag says. “By accident, getting a horse became a priority.” She soon bought a thoroughbred mare, Abbey, at a rescue barn.

“Thoroughbreds are usually wild and mares are notoriously difficult, so Abbey was everything I didn’t want in a horse,” she says. “It was a classic ‘what not to do if you want a horse’ scenario. But when I sat on her, I fell in love,” Hoag says.

It turns out that Abbey, who Hoag kept at a horse barn near her home, had been on good behavior that day. She proved to be as difficult as Hoag suspected.

“It took me four months to be able to walk her out of her stall by herself,” Hoag says. “People had to get behind her and push her out. And when I sat on her, she would just whinny and her whole body would shake. She didn’t have any brakes either, except for the fence.”

Nonetheless, Hoag took Abbey out every day and began riding her regularly. Slowly, Abbey began to trust her.

Life lesson: “Abbey got me exercising and wanting to get in better shape, so I could ride competitively,” Hoag says. “She also gave me something to focus on besides my diagnosis. She rescued me as much as I rescued her.”

Want to get in the saddle? For more information on the healing power of horses and ways to get involved with horseback riding and breast cancer research, visit www.pvdar‌idefo‌rlife.org.

Sandra Gordon is an award-winning freelance writer who delivers expert advice and the latest developments in health, nutrition, parenting and consumer issues.