Fight Back With Fitness
The Program
8o is it for?:
Women who have been cared for by a Blush Breast Cancer Nurse during their Breast Cancer Treatment. All sizes, all ages, all fitness levels. In fact the less fit you are the happier we are to see you!
When's it on?:
We run four FBWF programs each year. The program takes 8 weeks.
Before the program you have the opportunity to talk with your BCN about it.
How would I get started?:
First you registered your interest. You can do this by either by filling out the registration form on this website, or just telling your BCN you want to look further into FBWF.
Then what?:
FitLab will invite you to a get-together where the FitLab Team explains the whole program in detail. You can meet other women considering joining and talk over a cuppa with the Exercise Physiologists running the program. You also get to see where the sessions are run, where to park and the layout of the FitLab facilities. And ask any questions you have.
OK, once I'm in what happens next?:
At the start and end of each 10 week program the participants are offered a free DEXA Scan courtesy of QLD X-ray which is a major sponsor of FBWF. This enables the exercise physiologists and nurses to see how the program impacted your body composition. Usually, we see a big jump in muscle and a drop in fat, particularly around the mid-torso. This is used to help you and the FBWF Team quantify the impact of the program on your health. The data is kept confidential to you and only accessed by the FBWF Team with your consent.
The program is 3 days a week usually in the morning. Each session runs for one hour.
Venue: The FitLab
Time: To Be Confirmed when you register.
A complimentary protein shake is available at the end of each workout to help maximise your body's ability to build muscle. You won't end up looking like a weight-lifter! but your body will respond with better muscles for balance and stamina.
After the 10 weeks there is a de-brief with the FitLab Team and the Blush Nurses. And you have the opportunity to continue your new fitness lifestyle by joining up to the
Keep Fighting With Fitness program.
What if I'm just not sure?:
There are many paths to fitness. FBWF is we believe a great place to start but if you want more information or want to explore other paths, please contact the Blush Breast Care Nurses on 1300 139 466 with any queries. They are happy to answer any questions and support your inclusion in the group.
Our BCN's can also put you in contact with other women just like you who have done FBWF and will give you a 'warts & all' insight to the program.
What Others Say About FBWF
FBWF is a great way to get back on your feet after a BC Diagnosis. You get a little fitter and feel a lot stronger and you meet very kind people who get what it is like to have BC.
Thankyou Gaye, I really enjoyed the fight back with fitness programme. very beneficial. I am going to continue with Keep Fighting With Fitness,
thanks again.
The program has got me motivated to exercise. The social aspect of the program is greatly appreciated and makes it all worthwhile.
Thank you.
Thank you so much to the blush program for getting the FBWF program up and running. It was a fantastic program – I have never been a “gym” person, and I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I found the pace and program excellent and modifiable to anyone. The team are so skilled and helpful, but also respectful of individual differences. The ladies are welcoming and inclusive, and there is a common thread that binds us together without really speaking about it – BC!!! Thank you – I am going to continue 1-2 times a week. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
Facilitators
Blush Patient Liaison
Mary Kelsey & Gaye Foot
Blush Breast Care Nurses
Exercise after BC is paramount to recovery, management of symptoms and side effects, and reduction of the risk of BC recurrence.
Our role as BCNs is to ensure everyone is offered this amazing opportunity and understands the rationale for the program. We see first-hand the loss of strength and condition following the surgery and the other treatments. We see the fatigue and the cognitive impacts of Breast Cancer treatment. Exercise is one of the only well researched solutions that reduces these issues and that's why Blush has organised this program.
It is our job to encourage our clients to participate in the FBWF program at the most appropriate time in their BC trajectory. This is usually at the end of active treatment and before returning to work, or at least during the return-to-work transition. We often see our clients keen to rush back to work without completing the FBWF program. Too often they come back to us and say they wish they had taken the time to recover mind, body and soul before jumping quickly back into their work routines.
The FBWF program offers this recovery time in a safe and professional environment. Thanks to the close working relationship between ourselves and the FitLab team we are able to ensure that FBWF is suitable and effective for every patient - regardless of age or ability.
Our goal is to have every patient at least attempt the 10 week FBWF program and to provide patient support where and when needed.
FitLab Program Coordinator
Lauren Jericho
Exercise Physiologist
FitLab Program Director
Steve Nance
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
