Charlotte believes in taking a more reflective approach to exercise and setting flexible goals
Time certainly flies when you’re stepping into spring!
I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few days relaxing in Hertfordshire with an added quick sightseeing trip into London.
Usually I’m a planner and have a full itinerary for each trip. I don’t go quite as far as a printed handout for my travelling companions, but I do sometimes think I’d make a good tour guide as I shepherd my friends and family around from one location to another.
However, in the spirit of the Step into Spring challenge, I left this recent trip relatively unplanned to see where our steps took us. I’ve reflected on what I gained from taking this approach.
But first, I want to look at exercise in relation to Cancer Support UK’s service users. Working as I do with people who are recovering from cancer, I am very mindful that exercise can be a huge challenge in cancer recovery and can often raise difficult emotions.
For example, if you are someone who exercises frequently, whether that is running, swimming, exercise classes or team sports, it can be very difficult when the effects of treatment, such as fatigue, mean that either in the short or long term you can no longer participate to the same degree you did previously.
Far reaching benefits of exercise
Exercise is about more than just keeping your body healthy. Often exercise is also about socialising, personal achievement, pursuing new hobbies and having fun. Parts of our identity may be associated with the exercise we do – we might consider ourselves to be hikers, dancers, cricketers or any number of hobbies and skills we’ve built over our lifetimes. This is why it can be so emotionally challenging when this is interrupted by the effects of cancer treatment.
Cancer’s emotional impact
At Cancer Support UK we recognise the emotional impact of these changes, which is why our Cancer Coach services are specifically focused around emotional recovery. In our Focus Forwards session we explore common thinking patterns that we fall into and how we can start to challenge these, particularly in relation to exercise.
So, as we progress through the Step into Spring challenge, we reflect that each goal is a personal one and that the measure of achievement is not in the specific number of steps but in the act of taking them.
Connection
When I think back to setting myself a more relaxed pace during my break and where my steps led me, this is what I discovered:
When my itinerary is more planned I’ll often find myself looking down at my phone, either at a map or details of the next location. Without this, I looked up and around me. People watching, speaking to strangers in shops, having conversations with the table next to us at lunch.
All these little things which you lose out on when you’re either rushing around or looking at a screen.
This helped me to feel more present and more connected to the people and the place around me.
We know how important connection is. This is why our six week Cancer Coach peer support group is so effective in reducing isolation and improving wellbeing.
Reflection and relaxation
The steady pace of walking helped me to unwind and let my thoughts and emotions flow. As I walked, different scents, sights and sounds triggered memories of places I’ve been with friends and family over the years. Some of those memories are joyful, some of them bring sadness as I remember those who are no longer here to walk alongside me. But in feeling those emotions I was able to reflect on all those memories at the same time as making new ones.
As I walked I felt calmer and more relaxed, breathing in the fresh air and letting myself enjoy the rhythm of my steps.
For some other examples of relaxation and breathing you can access module nine Relaxation and Breathing Techniques of our Cancer Coach Digital programme.
Achievement
At the end of each day, I thought about the steps I’d taken and felt a sense of achievement in meeting the goal I had set myself.
In Cancer Coach we talk not just about SMART goals as pathway to move forwards but smartER goals where the E stands for evaluate and the R for revise. This means not putting unrealistic or unfair expectations on yourself, but taking the time to be reflective and flexible in your goal setting. In this way, we can be kinder to ourselves and celebrate our achievements based on our current circumstances, rather than holding ourselves to the unrealistic standard of what we ‘should’ or ‘ought to’ have achieved.
If you would like some support in your own goal setting you can access Module Ten Goal setting and my goal setting in our Cancer Coach Digital programme.
Participating in the Step Into Spring challenge has already shown me the benefits of increasing my steps and altered my habits in a productive way. I look forward to continuing my daily walks as part of the challenge and working towards our goal of a kinder world for all those living with and beyond cancer. And I’ll continue to update you on my progress.
You can support Charlotte’s challenge and help Cancer Support UK continue its vital work by donating via JustGiving.
