Strength traning

[krikri1989ho]

Can I do strength training with cll? And what kind of food isbest to eat for cll?

Thank you guys!

[cajunjeff]

You can and should do as much exercise as you can with Cll, including strength training. You are only limited by what your body allows you to do. Even those who of us become anemic should try to exercise as much as possible.

Insofar as diet, my thoughts are that we do not need special diets or to give up food we like, we just need to eat healthy and in moderation. That usually means more fresh vegetables and fruits, with less sugars and processed foods than many of us typically eat in a western diet

I am from south Louisiana, so it’s pretty much impossible for me to give up my gumbos, etoufees and jamblayas. I do eat better overall since my diagnosis, it’s more important for us to eat right for our immune systems. I also do some strength training, yoga and a lot of walking.

[krikri1989ho in reply to cajunjeff]

Thank you for the reply! Hope all is well!

[caven]

For those who are young, fit and healthy, strength training is an option. However, there are good reasons to explore endurance exercise as an alternative to strength training for those with chromosomal aberrations like CLL.

Evidence published last month in the European Heart Journal supports that endurance exercise, such as running, swimming, cross-country skiing and cycling, will help you age better than resistance exercise, which involves strength training with weights.

The benefits have been explored right down to the level of telomere-length on chromosomes. You can find a pretty good, basic-level, exploration of the benefits of endurance training for those with wonky chromosomes at the following URL:

medicalxpress.com/news/2018...

For those who want to deep-drill on the topic the article is: "Differential effects of endurance, interval and resistance training on telomerase activity and telomere length in a randomized, controlled study ", by Christian Werner et al. European Heart Journal. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy585

Caven

More information: Exercise, telomerase activity and cardiovascular disease prevention," by Konstantinos Stellos & Ioakim Spyridopoulos. European Heart Journal. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy707

[closh]

Not only can you do it - it is very important that you do keep up exercise. The better your body is running, the better it can cope with CLL and future treatments.

A balance of strength and cardio is probably best but realistically, whatever keeps you interested and motivated. I do weights a few days a week (often with another CLL patient I know who works nearby), take my mountain bike out once a week and do a cardio gym class. The main thing is to go regularly. You don't need to push yourself to the absolute limit unless you really like that - just put in a decent effort each time.

I see a well known CLL doctor, Dr Con Tam, and at one of my checkups during treatment I mentioned that I'd had a few days off exercise because I'd had a cold. He gave me a look and said "you don't skip exercise unless you have a fever". Think he called me a wimp

Graham

[stunned]

I joined a small gym in July and go 3 times a week, one of those sessions is with a personal trainer. I don't use any of the machines or equipment except a couple of 5kg weights when doing squats. Every exercise is me and my body, strengthening, stretching, mobility and balance. A combination of breathing exercises, yoga, squats, planks, crawling (didn't know there were so many ways to crawl, lol), floor exercises, hinging and bracing. I have been so fit, so mobile or so healthy, I lost over a stone in weight and the spondylitis at the top and bottom of my back has been helped considerably.

Not to throw cold water on the " you need to be as fit as possible to cope with CLL and the effects of treatment" line, I thought the same thing. But given I am now about to start treatment because my WBC and ALC are having a race to see which can hit 300 first, I questioned it with the hospital and on here. When I was unfit, overweight and slightly less mobile than I am now, my CLL was stable for a year with blood counts remaining unchanged in that year. As soon as I changed my diet, joined the gym and got fit, my WBC and ALC tripled in a few months.

Hopefully being so fit and healthy will help me cope with the side effects of treatment, but I am not sure it did my CLL any good.

Anne

[cajunjeff in reply to stunned]

Anne, I don’t think that exercise or diet changes the course of our Cll. There is clear evidence, however, that those who are otherwise healthy and have Cll fare better than those who do not.

I think there is about zero chance that you deciding to exercise and get fit had anything to do with your Cll ramping up. I agree that exercise probably did not do your Cll itself any good, but I would have had no expectation it would have any good or bad impact on Cll in the first place.

I agree 100 % you being fit will help you cope with any side effects of treatment. It will also help you cope with any Cll complications and allow you to recover quicker from the increased colds and infections people with compromised immune systems get.

That said, I do think diet can impact our chances of getting certain cancers; we know that certain additives in food are linked to cancer and that foods high in anti oxidants help prevent cancer. There is just no proof that once we have cancer a change in diet will stop our cancer from progressing. But there would still be benefit to eating healthier. That’s true for anyone at any age with or without an illness.