When Joan Petrelli, 64, had breast cancer eight years ago, surgeons removed 21 lymph nodes and three nerves under her left arm, leaving her with a painful swelling in the upper arm known as lymphedema. Many breast cancer survivors develop lymphedema, an uncomfortable and sometimes painful swelling in the upper arm or hand that can be debilitating and disfiguring. The 12-week small-group program — free to cancer survivors — teaches patients how to build muscle mass, increase flexibility and endurance and prevent or ease symptoms of lymphedema. At a recent workout, Lisa Torsiello, a 42-year-old Glen Rock resident, lifted weights to prevent lymphedema after breast cancer surgery. read more

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Fitness First personal training manager (Murray Street Mall gym) Sharon Curciarello said that, using short bouts of different moves such as planks, lunges and squats performed at a fast pace with the aim of building lean muscle mass, the concept of eight-minute work-outs was becoming increasingly attractive for two reasons. Secondly, for people new to exercise, the thought of having to exercise for an hour or even half an hour could be overwhelming and often resulted in them simply not doing anything at all. If the exercise selected was ideal and the work-out was performed at a high enough intensity during the entire eight minutes, Ms Curciarello said the work-outs could help people get fit and toned. People should perform exercises using multiple joints or limbs as this allowed them to work more muscles in a shorter time and to raise their heart rate higher and quicker in the available time frame. She warned people with health conditions, especially of the heart, should get clearance to exercise from a GP first before engaging in exercise at higher intensities. read more

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