Your Guide to Bone Mets: Exercise (Yes, Exercise!)
In the third of our special series on living with bone metastases, we are turning to one of the most frequent questions and concerns we hear: Can I exercise??
To get the answers, OMBCL co-hosts Ashley Fernandez and Martha Carlson spoke with Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, who has led the way in understanding and implementing exercise for people with breast cancer, including those of us with metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Schmitz founded the Moving Through Cancer initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, which has a bold goal of making exercise standard of care in oncology by 2029. She fills us in on the science of exercise – why it’s important and how it can be done with bone metastases. In this interview, she provides straightforward advice about what can be done, what to watch for, and connects us to resources that can help you get started after getting the okay from your oncologist.
Interspersed into the interview with Dr. Schmitz are the stories of people living with bone metastases, providing hope and inspiration that exercise is possible. We reached out to the incredible Facebook community called Active with MBC, a private group for people who already exercise and stay active and those who aspire to it. Many thanks to the women who responded to our survey with honesty and insight and to Angel, Quinn, Jill and Glenda, who joined us with interviews and sent videos to inspire.
This episode is close to the hearts for all of us at OMBCL, whether living with bone mets ourselves or not. We have all witnessed how this particular type of progression can be both invisible and life-changing. We hope that you feel supported and seen. And know that whether you simply walk to the mailbox or run a marathon, we are with you!
Episode Resources:
Exercise Guidelines
As always, please be cleared by your medical team prior to beginning an exercise program.
This is particularly critical for people living with bone metastases. Some of the organizations
below require a completed form prior to joining online or in-person classes.
Websites/Orgs Mentioned in the Episode
“Moving Through Cancer” (Book by Dr. Schmitz, along with free videos, logs, resources, and additional info)
American College of Sports Medicine
ACSM Cancer-Certified Physical Therapists and Trainers (Be sure to select for cancer certification and the country where you reside.)
Exercise is Medicine (Moving Through Cancer Exercise Program Directory)
UPMC Moving Through Cancer Program
Livestrong at the YMCA (In-person, free or low cost, 12-week physical activity program designed to help adult cancer survivors regain strength through exercise)
2Unstoppable (Virtual exercise program for people living with breast cancer)
OHSU School of Medicine Winters-Stone Exercise Lab
Springer Link article - Women with MBC don’t just follow step-count trends, they exceed them: an exploratory study
Springer Link article - Exercise for people with bone metastases: MASCC endorsed clinical recommendations developed by the International Bone Metastases Working Group
ScienceDirect article - Addressing metastatic individuals everyday: Rationale and design of the Nurse AMIE for Amazon Echo show trial among MBC patients
University of Calgary Exercise Lab - Exercise for Cancer to Enhance Living Well
Wellspring Cancer Support - Cancer Exercise and Mental Health (Canadian resource)
Angel Zimmerman’s Still Rising Health & Life Coaching - FB page and IG page
Active with MBC Facebook group
Additional Organizations Offering Free Health/Exercise Programs
MD Anderson Cancer Center Active Living After Cancer program: Free, 12 week program for cancer survivors & thrivers who are residents of the Greater Houston and El Paso area, promoting physical activity, and providing navigation services for survivorship issues
Unite For Her: Integrative and supportive therapies for breast cancer patients, including free fitness videos
The Aunt Sister Project: Virtual fitness classes for people affected by cancer
Cancer Bridges: Membership organization (membership is free to anyone impacted by cancer) that
offers support, including online exercise classes
Onco-Ballet Foundation : Low to no cost ballet classes (through hospitals) for women impacted by breast cancer in California to help them get back in touch with their bodies through ballet movement
Strength For Life: (TX) Free, community based fitness programs for cancer patients - in person for Abilene,TX residents, and workout videos on demand for virtual participation
Strength for Life: (NY) Free fitness classes, and more, both virtually and in-person, on Long Island, New York
Wellness House: Complete cancer wellness support, including free exercises programs (both online and in-person) held throughout the Chicagoland area
Moving for Life: Free, in-person & online accessible dance exercise classes for anyone affected by cancer
Moving Beyond Cancer Collaborative: Integrative oncology health and wellness services, educational seminars, and fitness classes, both in-person (Austin, TX) and virtual, available to all individuals affected by cancer regardless of ability to pay
Meet the Guest of the Episode
Kathryn H Schmitz, PhD, M.P.H., FACSM, FTOS, FNAK
Dr. Schmitz is a Professor in the division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She serves as the Associate Director of Catchment Area Research, Co-leader of the Biobehavioral Cancer Control program and Director of the Exercise Oncology Initiative for the Hillman Cancer Center. Dr. Schmitz’s research focuses on people living with and beyond cancer and investigates the role of exercise in improving physiologic and psychosocial outcomes, including symptoms, treatment tolerance, and other chronic diseases. In addition, Dr. Schmitz studies technology based supportive care interventions (that include physical activity) to improve outcomes among advanced cancer patients. She has held NCI funding consistently since 2001. She has published over 350 scientific peer reviewed papers, some in prestigious journals such as JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. Her well regarded research on resistance exercise and breast cancer related lymphedema has been translated into a physical therapy delivered program called ‘Strength After Breast Cancer’ that is available in over 1000 locations across the United States and beyond.
Dr. Schmitz was the moving force behind two American College of Sports Medicine development processes for exercise and cancer guidelines for patients in 2010 and 2018. She founded the Moving Through Cancer initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, which has a bold goal of making exercise standard of care in oncology by 2029. She has written a popular press book to raise awareness about exercise for cancer patients and survivors entitled ‘Moving Through Cancer’ that was released by Chronicle Books in October 2021. She is the winner of numerous awards, most notably the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Citation Award from the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Clinical Research Professorship from the American Cancer Society. In fall 2023, she was inducted as an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is the past president of the American College of Sports Medicine.
You can find her on IG @fitnessaftercancer & Twitter @fitaftercancer.
