Bowel cancer UK and the importance of physical activity!!
Thought it was about time I did some writing about that thing we are all to embarrassed to talk about…, yep you got it!! Pooh!!! This is not one of those blogs though that goes in to depth like other blogs.. this is well a blog that I hope might just give one or two people a bit of a kick up the backside that they need to get moving.
Talking all things pooh is something that is important to me… Just in case some of you are unaware my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer August 2017 and has been in remission since April 2018. So with having travelled or still travelling that emotional roller coaster ride as I call it or the cancer journey. I believe and always will that it is important to talk all things pooh!!! This being why I am writing this blog.
When hubby was diagnosed with bowel cancer we shared the families journey with Bowel Cancer UK, they are an amazing bunch of people and I continue to help raise awareness with this amazing charity. Bowel Cancer Uk are UK’s leading bowel cancer charity, they raise awareness in several ways for a disease that is the 4th most common cancer in wales but yet the second biggest killer and yet it is treatable if caught in the early stages. There determination in everything they do and there belief is next to none..
Bowel Cancer UK undertake a range of activities as part of there work to help save lives and improve the quality of living for those who are affected, in any way by cancer and this includes family members. The charity raise awareness and do this by, providing information covering all aspects of bowel cancer… from the surgery to the symptoms of the disease. They don’t just provide the information though, they also train healthcare professionals in bowel health and screening and can tailor the training to the groups needs. They campaign, they work with others and not forgetting they fundraise and do a lot of it… after all they are determined to save lives from bowel cancer but cant do it on there own!!
I believe they have a few fund raisers through out the year from beard growing to climbing big hills , last year myself and my family participated in #walktogether we had loads of fun even if it was just a little wet and took some time to dry out. Their current fundraiser is “Step up for 30” which is participating in 30 minutes of exercise everyday for the month of June, this could be walking with the dog, swimming, dancing anything you want. This is an extreme challenge for some but loads of fun especially if you do group work outs or even just go for a walk with a friend, pop over to the web site and check it out.
Exercise is not for everyone.. for years I was one of those people that could take it or leave it..i was that kid that was always last on sports day and would use any excuse not to do it in secondary school. I was anything but an active child… I did have a moment in year 11 when I actually quite enjoyed sport, short lived though. Up until about 4 years ago the only fitness I had done since school was a work out with my Davina DVD… it felt good at the time but the novelty soon wore off!
Four years ago something came over me and i started Zumba, I would go once or twice a week and loved it. After a few months I started to feel and see a change and was liking what I was seeing and how I was feeling, unfortunately though I had to stop going as life got a bit to much being a uni student along with a family member becoming ill.
Life just went by and I never really thought of going back or starting my fitness up again. Then when my husband got diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2017 I suppose you could say it gave me a bit of a wake up call!! The more and more I learnt about Cancer, the more and more individuals I came across and followed on a cancer journey… the more and more I realised just how important participating in physical activity actually was for me… for all of us. Early 2018 after loads of talking myself out of it I signed up for the “Race for Life” and that was it….. my fitness journey started again and I’ve never looked back.
I had absolutely no idea just how much of an impact physical activity can actually have on you, it’s actually pretty amazing. Physical activity does not just help you loose or assist in sustaining your weight it does so much more!! It’s helped me mentally… my confidence and self esteem has grown along with my strength. Physical activity goes so much deeper.. it improves your health and has the potential to help reduce the risk of developing disease like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity can have an immediate impact on an individual and can improve your long term health and quality of life.
So what have you got to loose??? It does not matter if its only 20 minutes or an hour and you walk.. something is better then nothing and it all helps. So come on!! no more excuses get up and go for a walk… I promise you that you will feel better for it.
I mentioned already that Bowel cancer uk organise fund raising events through out the year.. This month is all about “step up 30 “30 minutes of physical activity every day through out June. This can be anything form walking your dog to doing something you have never done before like a Zumba class with friends. By taking part not only are you improving your health in so many ways your helping Bowel cancer UK to carry on the amazing work that they do.
So I recon there is nothing stopping you from taking part!!!! So pop those shoes on and get going… don’t forget to take a picture of yourself and share it with me and bowel cancer uk. Most importantly pop over and check out the bowel Cancer UK website and the amazing work they do… oh and my journey with my family is there as well and if you could afford to donate that would be amazing.
Thank you my lovelies for reading and please remember to check your ?
