I am currently at Walt Disney World and I asked my friend (really more like a sister), Joy, to guest blog! What she shares here is vital so read and share with those you love! Also, go check out her blog at http://www.joybowen.net/! See ya next week!
I’m not a runner.
Hopefully that doesn’t make you ditch this post altogether. We can still be friends, right? I am a cheerleader at heart and will root you on! But I had to get that off my chest because, after all, this is a running blog and well, I don’t run.
I don’t run In part because I look like Phoebe from that “Friend’s” episode when I try to run. Also, my running speed is the same as my fast walking speed so I figure I should just stick with speed walking and call it, “good”. I have completed a 5K before so I’m hoping that earns me some brownie points here.
So why on earth are you guest posting here?
Good question.
Well I guess because Jennifer asked me to. And she’s one of my besties so I’m honored she would ask and am happy to do it. But more importantly, I’m writing to you as someone who has spent the last year with breast cancer. (Wait! Don’t ditch the post yet! I promise this is not a depressing article! If it helps, you can sing “Just Keep Reading” in the voice of Dory from Finding Nemo.)
Thanks to my annual mammogram, I was fortunate to have a very early stage of breast cancer called DCIS. I never felt any differences in my body. I didn’t feel sick. I was fairly active, (While I may not enjoy running, I love kickboxing!), had relatively healthy eating habits, no family history and yet there it was….cancer.
Life went sideways this past year. The area of cancer was very close to my chest wall so we decided to be very aggressive with our treatment plan and elected for a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction.
With that background in mind, here’s what I want you to know:
1. Did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer?
That’s important stuff because it’s pretty common these days. I had one friend joke that being diagnosed with breast cancer seemed almost as common as being diagnosed with the flu. That’s not something that should scare you, though. The point is, it happens and you can’t bury your head in the sand. Knowledge is power. Go get your annual mammograms. Wear a sparkly tiara and pamper yourself to lunch or a pedicure afterwards if it helps you go but please, just get it done.
2. Exercise reduces women’s risk of breast cancer, no matter what kind of exercise they do, how old they are, how much they weigh, or when they get started.
Is that the greatest news or what?! So keep running! (See how I’m cheering you on like I promised?) Not only will you get really cool marathon medals and make the most awesome friends, you will also be fighting breast cancer with every run! I LOVE IT! (and you should too!) Seriously, I may not be a runner but I am slightly obsessed with picturing myself in the cute running outfits.
3. You need a tribe.
I’m not talking about the kind of tribe that all loves the same thing. You need a tribe of friends. There is no substitute in life. You need others in your life to remind you how life is beautiful….even when things go sideways. (And there will be days when YOU will do the reminding for others.)
Jennifer and I joked about how my breast cancer journey was a lot like this video of Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales on the ‘Terror-dactyl’. Oftentimes, I needed to just death grip someone close to me. When that death grip spirit started to get the best of me, my girlfriends would remind me to look up and see how beautiful the view is…..And life is beautiful…even when you think you are falling to your death in a canyon. (Now, that will only make sense if you actually watch the video. You can totally do that now. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere….)
We also decided to celebrate, instead of mourn, as much as possible which included a bra burning party complete with sparkly costume jewelry, tiaras and feather boas. This is a picture of us celebrating the fact that I chose to say yes to “life” and “no” to cancer. Are we cute? Do you see Jennifer?
4. We all have moments of finding our strength again.
I was forced to take nearly a year long “vacation” from my normal fitness routines. (It’s definitely not the type of vacation I prefer — give me sunny skies and sandy beaches, please!) I once lived to justify not doing my workouts because I was “too busy”, “too tired” or “fill in the blank”. When I was given a medical mandate to NOT exercise outside of walking, I was more than a little frustrated at the limitation being forced on me. Truly, you do not fully appreciate your body’s potential until it is taken away.
For me, rebuilding strength came in the form of something called the PiYo Challenge Group. It’s a 60-day strength and stretching program that combines fitness, nutrition, support and friendship. It’s been a phenomenal way for me to take that inner strength that has carried me during my year with breast cancer and make it shine on the outside. In fact, it’s had such a positive impact on my overall flexibility and strength that I am now coaching others in their fitness journey. Which brings me to #5:
5. Turn your mess into your message.
Hey, let’s be real. Life is messy. Sure, I know it can be physically messy….I am a mom to two teenage boys. (Pray for me! Do they even know where the numerous garbage cans are in my house?) I used to think that God never gives you more than you can handle. But now I know better. The truth is this:
God helps you handle whatever you’ve been given.
And if you let him help you, he can use ANYTHING to encourage and help others. He’s pretty cool like that. So that mess you have? He, the God of restoration and redemption, just might want to turn it into a message.
Joy Bowen is mom to Charles (14) and Tyler (12) and has been married to her college sweetheart for over 18 years. (Yea, baby!) She grew up in California and has moved 15 times in her marriage (we aren’t sure how that happens). She now lives in Texas, works as a family ministry advisor to hundreds of churches for Orange, serves on the Board of Directors at Christian Community Action and is coaching and cheering others on in their fitness journey at JoyBowen.net. Her next PiYo Challenge Group starts August 14 and will help you with strength and flexibility.
Twitter: JoyBowen
Facebook: Facebook.com/JoyBowenFitness