The value of movement
August 26, 2014
By: Bonnie Lang
Hi! I’m Bonnie Lang, a personal trainer in Calgary, Alberta and one half of the 2-person nonprofit my husband and I run, Survive & Thrive Cancer Programs, where I also blog about our adventures and offer fitness tips. Thanks to CancerFightClub for giving me space to share a bit about what we do!
As a personal trainer, I love that it’s part of my job to motivate people and give them the tools they need to change their lifestyles. As a caregiver to my husband (during his cancer and now after the fact), it’s important that I’m fit and well enough to love and support him. Movement is a release and life-giving tool for me to be a better supporter and person.
But the value of movement doesn’t stop there in my life. As part of Survive & Thrive Cancer Programs, I help give other young adult cancer survivors and their supporters the chance to get outside and adventure beyond their cancer together. And guess what? Fitness helps afford the chance to help others feel great – about their bodies, their abilities and their direction in life.
One of the best things that happens on our Expeditions is that we get to see people at their best. In a wilderness setting – like when you’re kayaking down the Owyhee River and sleeping under the stars, camping on islands and sailing around British Columbia, or plummeting down the Grand Canyon on giant rafts – you also see people struggling. But it’s these moments of adversity (a change of routine, the physical challenge, reflecting on life post-treatment) that bring about real change and that reveal the best in us. And seeing the best is incredible – to be part of others’ healing journey and privy to their stories is an amazing honor.
Recently Mikey and I came back from our 6th annual kayaking trip, and it was another one for the books! The group was a solid, fun, engaged bunch of people from all across North America (and one from Australia!) who were ready to dive into a week of the unknown. I love that people are moving their bodies, interacting on deep levels with one another and trying new things like cliff jumping and camping for 8 days. On this last trip, we saw a mountain lion, rattle snakes, scorpions and unmatched beauty in the Green Dragon Canyon. But beyond the sites and the experiences themselves, most people’s highlights included the people around them and how good they felt on the trip.
Cancer takes many things from us, but it also gives new opportunities, new perspectives, new directions that likely would not have occurred if it weren’t for the adversity. Survive & Thrive Expeditions moves us through a process of reflecting on what’s happened to us, refocusing on what’s important now and rebuilding our lives in light of what’s changed. People have asked us for a menu of what we ate on a trip because they “can’t believe how great they felt.” In actuality, it’s not the food (everything tastes better when you’re outside and hungry!), but the fact that we’re combining healthy movement with community – a community that cares and is available to listen and support. It’s not magic; that’s why the change happens and is so powerful.
I’m thankful that movement is so much a part of my story – not only in a very physical sense with my job and what I love to do, but also in the way that my story is always moving through the ups and downs. Being fit on the outside and the inside helps me to move through the peaks and valleys. Your story, too, is always ebbing and flowing and you have a choice in how you will respond to the waves you ride; being fit to handle those changes while having a strong community by your side will help craft the story you are living.
Join us for the chance to reflect on your cancer journey in a supportive community – while having an adventure that you won’t forget! Live well & be well friends,
Bonnie
