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Welcome back to Twins for Wellness, a platform dedicated to sharing stories of strength, resilience, and empowerment. In this blog post, we will talk about a few fantastic hobbies that have helped me survive through my breast cancer journey.
I was diagnosed in December of 2022 and went through chemotherapy from December 2022 to May 2023 and then I had about six weeks off before I had a lumpectomy surgery.
During Chemotherapy I was very anxious and stressed out so I adopted some different fun hobbies to help me through it.
Here are the Top 6 Fantastic Hobbies to Help you Survive Breast Cancer
1. Strength Training
Before I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer I had been going to kickboxing class and I tried yoga and a few other fun strength training type classes. When I started chemo I was told I could no longer do any kickboxing classes or anything that I could get hurt doing.
My cancer center has a cancer fitness program that helps cancer patients keep in shape while going through cancer treatments. Exercise is really important to help you heal.
I signed up right away so that I could try to keep up with some kind of fitness routine. My personal trainer is wonderful and helped me continue to strength train all through chemo and will continue training me for free for 16 more sessions.
I was not able to continue strength training after surgery, but once I am healed I’ll be headed back.
2. Hiking
I have always loved hiking in the woods. I have gone more now and I plan to find new hiking trails all over Wisconsin for my sister and me to explore. We were both science majors and love to be outdoors in nature.
If you are undergoing treatment, be careful going hiking you may not be able to go as far or fast as you did before. Enjoy listening to the birds chirp and the wind blowing through the trees. Nature and exercise are great for reducing stress and overall emotional well-being, just don’t try to climb a mountain right now!
3. Kayaking
This is one of the hobbies I have always loved. My family lives on a river in Northern Wisconsin. We used to go kayaking all the time. Once we had kids it was always hard to go together but now that they are older Melissa and I plan to take the big kids.
I only got to go once this summer before my surgery so I plan to strengthen my arms and chest in order to go kayaking this fall when I am all healed.
Kayaking/Canoeing is really fun because you are on the water in nature. It’s also pretty easy and a great way to relax and distract yourself from reality for a little while. If you are quiet you can even see wildlife while floating down the river.
4. Puzzles
Another great thing to do to keep busy during breast cancer treatment is jigsaw puzzles. I have found it much harder to concentrate on reading books during chemo and recovery from surgery so I have started doing puzzles with my mom and sister when I am with them. I enjoy it immensely.
Doing puzzles is a good way to keep your mind busy and something to do if you are not feeling up to going anywhere.
5. Reading
I try to read a few chapters a night of whatever book I am currently reading. I have always loved to read. It really helps me get through the week when I become overwhelmed with stress from treatments or work. I am currently reading Fairy Tale by Stephen King: https://amzn.to/434BFhQ Reading is something you can do anywhere and is a great distraction. We always loved reading growing up.
6. Adult Coloring
Melissa got me a silly swearing adult coloring book and I enjoyed coloring it during chemo sessions or whenever I needed something to help me relax.
Conclusion
These are the 6 fantastic hobbies that helped me survive my breast cancer journey so far. I hope these ideas can help someone else through their journey.
