Training Breast Cancer Survivors

Cathy Bryan
  

As fitness professionals we do not have customers, but clients. The point of differentiation between the two is that a customer merely buys goods and services whereas a client agrees to put herself under the protection or patronage of a professional. As patrons we have an opportunity to not just make a living, but also truly make a difference in their lives.

In this interview, Cathy Bryan, Research Coordinator for the Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL) trial at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the benefits of exercise for breast cancer survivors. Bryan gives a comprehensive overview on how exercise benefits the physical, emotional and mental state of breast cancer survivors and why these factors are essential for the well-being and recovery of this population.

Bryan also discusses new findings pertaining to the potential benefits that strength training has for conditions such as lymphoedema and why it may disaffirm long-held ideas about the relationship between lymphoedema and exercise.

Finally, Bryan offers a look at how to build the necessary expertise to work with this population.