On Boobs, Bras and Running

Boobs, breasts, bust, puppies...... The other day names we have for breasts was trending on Twitter. Even I was amazed and amused by the names we have for them. Most were fond and loving, not rude or crude. We love our boobs and quite right too!

As this month is breast cancer awareness month and because for one reason or another I've had boobs on my mind for the last week or so, I thought I'd do a blog about boobs, oh and a bit of running too.

The other week I had a small sebaceous cyst removed from under my bra strap.  It was very minor and nothing to worry about and only 2 stitches. 'Can I run?' I asked the (male) doctor as I went under the knife. 'Of course' he said as he snapped his rubber gloves. I looked away.  Afterwards, as I slid off the bed and tried to put my bra on, I remembered a fundamental fact of life. Men don't understand the psychology or physics of breasts in the way that women do. How could I possibly run with two stitches under the bra strap just at the place where there is probably maximum pull! Any woman would know that gravity and pressure made running like that a no no.

Now for me, any exercise without a bra is to be contemplated with some caution. Even spinning I need a bit of support; and yoga, well just think downward dog (thanks @longjogroz and @runner786 for that image!). I have a very serious and totally wonderful shock absorber bra that keeps me safe and sound and I wouldn't be without it. But it is very tight, especially in just that place where the stitches are.

A few days later after three spin classes, I'm really ready for a run.  After a bit of experimentation with all those hooks and things on my bra, I worked out a way of  getting an off the shoulder strap so I could run without too much movement. I decided to give it a go and headed off on a dusk run. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

Well I had a lovely run, it was a beautiful evening and I worked out a route I can run any time of day to test out my speed and improvement ready for the Edinburgh Marathon next year. I put on my running music and hit the road. As always, as I ran, thoughts that had been blocked by shopping lists, work and by my, Mum's, Ali's 'to do' lists popped into my head like bubbles in fine champagne.

I thought about how lucky I am. What must it be like to have had a lumpectomy or more serious surgery. I remembered the stories I'd read about in Women's Running Magazine about women with breast cancer who found that running gave them strength and courage.   

I thought about how running and other exercise can help to fight breast cancer and other cancers too.  Nothing in life is guaranteed, but research shows that exercising after being diagnosed with breast cancer can reduce the risk of dying from the disease.  A 16 year follow-up of women with cancer, showed that women who exercised one to three hours each week lowered their risk of dying from breast cancer by one quarter and those who exercised between three and eight hours per week cut their risk in half.

I thought about how exercise can help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer in the first place.  Women who exercise for three or more hours each week can reduce their risk of breast cancer by twenty to forty percent. Forty per cent! If running cuts my risk be even a tiny percent, I'm all for it.

I thought about the race for lifers who cope with cancer, the gruelling treatment; the surgery, chemo, radiotherapy who walk and run. I thought about all the other women who walk, support, run and cheer for Race for Life. 
As I ran, I was glad to feel a tiny tug now and then that reminded me that I'm lucky to be running with boobs. That running might help me keep them. That being healthy and being lucky enough to choose to run are very very special and wonderful gifts to be treasured.

Of course men get breast cancer too, I hope running works for guys as well. Does anyone know?

Nothing is guaranteed in this life. Running doesn't stop you getting cancer, if only things were that easy. But running and other exercise might help reduce the risk. If there's the tiniest chance that exercise will keep me whole and healthy a bit longer, I'm all for it. And I'm very happy that it helps keep me slim, has brought me dear friends and is great fun too. A no brainer I'd say.

So, whether you run round the block or run Ultras; whether you're a treadmill trotter or a fell runner; a runner, walker, cyclist, swimmer; trapeze artist - whatever. Whether you're a boob carrier or a boob appreciator (or indeed both), be a gambler and  cut the odds, get off the couch, out that door and move.

Happy running and take care

Sue

Keep your diet on track: when to ditch the dietplan

Very  few of us get through anything in life without a few wobbles or meanders.  I came off my dietplan a few times and I still do deviate from healthy eating - and running.  Handling the ups, downs and setbacks is what makes all the difference between success and failure. Most of the time, we get back on track with a stiff talking to about how we don't want to be fat and unhealthy. But sometimes things go badly wrong and the struggle can get too much. What do you do then?

For a lot of us dieters, we struggle on, we blame ourselves, we feel a failure. But just hold on, before you start on the self blame game, ask yourself two simple questions:

• Is this diet plan the right one for me? 
• Is this the right time for me to diet?

The most important decision you make after the one to lose weight is you diet plan. You have to pick a diet strategy that fits you right here and now, not one that  worked for Kerry Katona or one you try and squeeze into like a size zero dress. If you are having serious problems with losing weight, change your strategy. And keep changing it until you have something that works.

You've nothing to lose. Research shows you'll lose the same amount of weight over 3-6 months regardless of what plan you follow - as long as you take in less energy than you use.  Effective weight loss simply means using and sticking to the right plan for you.  There isn't a magic plan, but there are plans that work better for different people at different times and there is a plan for you for now. The trick is to find it. Experimenting won't do you any harm, you might enjoy it!  And of course by trying different plans you will eat less anyway and you will lose weight. Win-win!

You might need more protein; more veg; less exercise; more flexibility; more treats; more discipline. You might have got a plan that means you're losing weight too quickly or too slowly to keep you and your body on track. If your diet strategy ain't working, fix it! Keep going till you find a plan that you can live with for 3-6 months and give it a go. If you get the right plan, you'll find that you're not just losing weight successfully but you're putting in place a way of eating that keeps you slim and healthy for the years to come.

Sometimes diets don't work because it's just not the right time and you have other fish to fry. This can be really hard to accept. I've spoken to lots of people who say that trying to diet at the wrong time just doesn't work and it is totally demoralising, just at the time when you need every ounce of energy to get by.

Deciding not to lose weight right now is not failure, it's taking control and making a decision that's right for you. But how do you keep positive? Well, first and most importantly, don't despair. It's much better to accept the fact that this is not the time to diet and move on.  OK so weight loss is too much, but this can be a good time to begin to prepare. When I was caring for Mum and Dad I read a lot about healthy eating  and tried out some recipes.  I made sure I exercised when I could. Small signs that things would change one day.

There's a saying that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. That applies to any challenge, whether it's getting a getting back to fitness after a serious injury - see Mel (http://www.melanieryding.co.uk/) or running up and down Ben Nevis (well done Davie! http://www.dingerswhw.blogspot.com/), or losing weight. Yes, losing weight is a challenge just like any other difficult thing we try to do.

I've learnt a lot from my running chums about how important it is to prepare; how despite everything, sometimes you have to step down from a challenge because you're injured or sick. They find it a real struggle to stop and wait until they're recovered and ready, but they know that to reach their goal, that's what they have to do. Same goes for us. Diets are challenges we take on, just like runners take on mountains and deserts and marathons. We need the right training plan and there are times when we have to wait.

So, when those serious diet wobbles kick in, remember this is not failure, this is about winning your challenge. Feeling like a failure will make you fat, don't do it. Keep your eyes on your goal, check you have the right plan; assess what you can do.  Draw on the support of your friends; your heros and people who know what you're going through. They're the real experts, they know exactly what it's like.

It took me a few years for my time to come and when it did I was ready and raring to go and I went for it. I succeeded. You can too.


Take care and good luck!

Sue