How Weight Lifting Helped Me Discover My Inner Strength after Cancer

“Exercising, for me, isn't about shame anymore.” Alice May-Purkiss shares how weight lifting transformed her physical and emotional strength post-cancer.

After nine surgeries during my breast cancer treatment, I never expected I'd be the sort of person who's into lifting weights. To be entirely honest, I never thought my body would let me do anything of the sort again. But in the two years since I went to my first barbell class at my local gym, I've become a person who lifts heavier and heavier weights above my head week after week. I squat, I press, I curl.

And truth be told, watching myself get stronger and fitter every week has changed everything for me.

Life, not cancer, taught me that exercise was about shame

When you're diagnosed with cancer in your 20s, life afterward becomes made up of tiny adjustments. You learn that throwing yourself on a surfboard might not be as safe as it used to be. You realize that when people talk about breastfeeding their baby, fertility issues may mean it's something you never experience. You get used to working within the new parameters your changed body has been left with.

Begrudgingly, you accept that things are different now. And you change the way you operate.

When I joined my local gym, I expected to fail. I'd realized I was a little less healthy than I wanted to be post-cancer. However, I was still apprehensive about what my body could and could not do and what adjustments I'd need to make to exercise well.

I'd always approached fitness and exercise from a place of shame, instilled into me by gym teachers with a determination to make me move when I didn't want to.

I was nervous about what my post-cancer body could achieve

But over time, I realized that exercising, for me, isn't about shame anymore. It's about getting strong and staying strong. When my body is strong, my brain feels strong, too. I'd been doing Body Combat (a mix of martial arts set to music) for weeks, and I'd tentatively tiptoed into spin classes. Still, I knew that strength training was something I was lacking.

I'd spent the last nine years protecting my chest out of fear and a lingering sense of PTSD. My chest muscles, already affected by nerve damage, were weak - and much of the rest of my upper body was, too.

So, one Monday, I braved a BODYPUMP class. I had no idea what I was doing with the weights. I'd never done a clean and press before (where you lift the barbell above your head), and the curls that targeted my biceps, triceps, and chest made my arms shake. When I heard the opening bars to the "chest workout" track, I felt nauseous about putting my muscles through the work.

But I did it. And I soon realized I was much more robust, much more resilient, much more determined than I had given myself credit for.

Lifting weights has helped me appreciate my body in a new way

While cardio workouts help my overall fitness, the improvement can feel abstract. Going from having 6kg (13.2lbs) on my bar during a particular track to 10kg (22lbs) to 15kg (33lbs) offers some extrinsic motivation to keep me returning to class.

I can see how my body has changed. I have muscles I've never had before (hello, traps, I'm talking about you). My legs can carry me for longer; I can work in the garden and lift things I couldn’t before. My husband jokes that I'm stronger than him.

And that neuropathic pain caused by my multiple surgeries? It hasn't gone. But it's certainly improved.

As my physical strength converts to inner strength, I’ve never felt so powerful

I never expected to be the sort of person into lifting weights, but building my physical strength makes me feel prepared for whatever life throws at me. It helps me to appreciate my body and all that it has been through in a different way, a form of post-traumatic growth. I've seen my building strength in class convert to functional strength in daily life, and the impact that's had on my mental health has been transformational. 

I used to say that before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was the fittest I'd ever been, but now I don't believe that's true. I'm almost ten years older, but I'm fitter now than ever before. At least once a week, I swim, I fight, I spin. And I lift weights. I'm so proud of myself.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen.

NPS-ALL-NP-01192 FEBRUARY 2024