02/06/2025
In the Summer of 2024, Gaynor successfully navigated breast cancer. Having reviewed her options for post cancer medication, her doctors also discovered localised osteoporosis and widespread osteopenia….just what she needed after all the trauma of cancer…..
Gaynor found me in March 2025. In her usual inspirational, no-nonsense way, she had decided to fight her bone density condition with resistance training, having only ever done cardio workouts, and having abandoned the gym many many years ago.
I’m sure all of you will know by now the link between strength training and strong bones and muscles, and the increasing importance of such training as we get older and start to lose bones and muscle mass. It’s my favourite subject - don’t get me started!
Whenever I share these remarkable accounts of clients who demonstrate so well the power of doing the right fitness, I’m always blown away by the utter determination to stick to the plan, to keep going and keep trying. All of these success stories only happen because of this approach.
Back in March we started the process with my infamous fitness test and grip test. One of the easiest
and most effective set of exercises to build strength and to monitor progress. Similarly, the grip test is a proven indicator of muscle (and therefore bone) strength - and good results have been strongly linked to a healthy life expectancy. Here are the results of Gaynors hard work….
Across all her tests she improved her strength numbers by 31% and her left and right combine grip strength from 58.8kgs to 67.5kgs
Whilst Gaynor rolls her eyes at the prospect of many more dips in the future (along with everything else!), her example is one that proves you can make a difference really quickly from minimal fitness and from cancer. In fact, only yesterday, the Guardian published an article ‘Exercise ‘better than drugs’ to stop cancer returning after treatment, trial finds.’ Here’s a snippet :-
For the first time in medical history, there was clear evidence that exercise was even better at preventing cancer recurrence than many of the drugs currently prescribed to patients, one of the world’s top cancer doctors said.
(Dr Julie Gralow, the CMO of Asco). Patients who began a structured exercise regime with the help of a PT or health coach after they completed treatment had a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% lower risk of recurrent or new cancers developing, compared with patients who received only health advice, the trial found.’
The Guardian, 1st June 2025
