Exercise 1: Squats Or Sit to Stand

Exercise 1: Squats or Sit to Stand

Stand with feet at shoulder width apart,make sure that ankles, knees and hips are in alignment.

Sit back and down (like you’re sitting in an imaginary chair), keep your head facing forward.

Lower until your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible,press your weight into your heels.

Do not let your knees go over the front of your toes or track inwards (knock knees!),hold at the bottom and then return to starting position.

A suitable alternative to the squat is a “sit to stand”. You can use this exercise until you feel strong enough to do a good squat.

Sit in a chair (a dining/kitchen chair is usually best to start) with good posture.

Ensure that feet are at shoulder width apart.

Place your arms across your chest, push up through the legs without using your shoulders for momentum. Watch the alignment of your knees whilst doing this exercise, make sure that the knees don’t come to a central position whilst doing the exercise.

Slowly return to a seated position, the slower you descend the harder the exercise.

Exercise 2: Lunges

Step forward with first leg, land on heel and then forefoot. Ensure the hips are square and facing front (try not to twist)

Lower your body by flexing the knee and hip of front leg until the knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor.

Do not let your front knee go over the front of your toes,keep knees and feet pointing forward.

Keep your chest upright during lunge,

Repeat by alternating lunge with opposite legs.

A suitable alternative is a mini lunge with support.

Place a chair either side of you with the backs of the chairs available as support.

Place your hands onto the backs of the chairs, step forward within the width of the chairs.

Slowly bend your front and back leg, flexing both knees.

Ensure the hips are facing forward, then push back into a standing position.

Exercise 3: Calf Raises

Stand tall with your feet hip width apart. Raise your heels so that you're on your tiptoes,

Hold the position and then lower your heels to the floor,ensure that the lift comes from the whole width of your foot and not the little toe or inside of the foot.

Raise your arms to the front of your body to challenge your balance.

Hold the position at the top, then slowly lower the heels back to the ground. Be mindful of your ankle stability and only work within your current range of movement.

An easier alternative to start with…..

Hold onto a surface that is about hip height (kitchen worksurface, back of a chair or a sideboard).

Lightly lift the heels from the ground, then slowly lower back. Work on these lifts until you feel confident that your balance is good enough to do the raises in a higher position through the foot and without the support.

Exercise 4: Standing Twists

Position yourself with feet hip width apart.
Start by following your right hand in an upward diagonal with your eyes, keeping
your hips pointing forward.

Then repeat at shoulder height.

Finally repeat behind on a lowdiagonal.

Do not stretch further than your eyes can follow.

If you have shoulder issues or a line in your torso/arm, then lessen the tension through the upper limbs by folding the arms across the body and rotating through the shoulders only.

Exercise 5: Bicep Curls

Stand up straight with a weight in each hand at arms length (a water bottle or tin of beans)

Keep your elbows close to your torso and rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward- this is your starting position.

Keep the position of your elbows stationary and curl your arms until the weights are close to shoulder level.

Hold in this position and then lower slowly back down

Make sure your posture is upright, you can do this exercise seated or standing.

Beware of this exercise with PICC lines, ensure you start with body weight only.

Exercise 6: Wall Press-up

Stand facing a wall with your feet hip width apart about 2 feet away from the wall.

Place your palms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the wall.

You should be able to keep your arms straight with your palms flat against the wall,

Keep your body straight and slowly bend your elbows, lowering your chest to the wall, until your upper arms are close to parallel with the wall,

Hold in this position and then press up until your arms are straight again.

Be aware of PICC lines with this exercise, test your range of movement by pushing your arms away from your body at shoulder height.

Hints and Tips

Always warm up before completing any exercise or physical activity.
To protect your back, always ensure you are “aware” and engage your stomach muscles (this will help support your back and assist you with balance during activity)
LISTEN to your body, really important! If your body says no or if a movement causes pain or discomfort, stop immediately.
Always stretch after activity, whether it be exercise or an activity such as walking, gardening or cleaning. You are just saying thank you to your muscles!
Do all exercises with proper technique, building up slowly.
Suggested amount – 3 sets of 8 repetitions. Do less if you tire and your technique is compromised.
Physical activity doesn’t just mean going to the gym. There are lots of ways you can get fitter by making simple changes to your daily routine, i.e. walking or cycling to the shops, doing stairs instead of lifts.
Aim to increase your activity levels gradually. You should feel warmer, your heart rate faster (but not racing!) and slightly breathless but you should still be able to hold a conversation whilst exercising.
Choose an activity you enjoy and if possible include others (friends/family) in your activity to help keep you motivated.
Set small realistic goals i.e. “I’m going to be able to walk to the local shop by the end of the week”
Use light weights, such as baked bean tins, to build your strength in your arms.
Swing your arms or use poles whilst walking, this increases your heart and breathing rate and is beneficial to your aerobic fitness.
Don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve your goal. We all have good and bad days! Keep going, you will achieve these goals.
Keep an activity diary, to show you how far you have come.
Exercise is safe! But always stop if you feel unwell. If you have any concerns before starting to exercise, visit your GP for more advice.
Physical activity is very helpful for managing fatigue, improving physical function, assisting weight loss and improving your psychological health.
Physical activity has been associated with a reduction in cancer reoccurrence for a number of tumour sites.