Cancer treatment can change what someone's body can do and how they feel about it. For survivors moving into recovery, rebuilding strength can mean learning how to exercise in a body that may feel very different than it did before.
Livestrong at the YMCA is designed to support that process.
The 12-week physical activity program helps adult cancer survivors regain strength, energy, and confidence through exercise tailored to their individual needs and abilities. Participants meet twice a week in a small-group setting, where they not only work toward their personal fitness goals but also connect with others who understand the challenges of life after cancer. Guided by instructors trained in cancer survivorship, post-rehabilitation exercise, and supportive cancer care, participants build strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and balance while finding encouragement, support, and community along the way.
Qualified participants also receive a three-month YMCA membership for themselves and a support person, providing additional opportunities to stay active, spend time together, and explore other resources available at the Y throughout the program.
For Mary Ann, who participated in Livestrong at the Haselwood Family YMCA, the experience became about both physical and emotional recovery.
"Physically I feel stronger and more confident in what I can do with my body," Mary Ann said after completing the program.
Meeting People Where They Are
Cancer survivors can face lasting effects from treatments, surgery, and medications. Returning to physical activity may come with limitations that weren't there before.
Mary Ann experienced that firsthand. There were exercises she could no longer do the way she once had, but instructors Helena and Jim helped her find alternatives that allowed her to keep moving and progressing.
"They gave me so many ways to stretch and get stronger using many parts of the gym that I haven't used or didn't know how to use for years," she shared.
That individualized approach is central to Livestrong at the YMCA. Rather than expecting participants enter the program at a particular fitness level, instructors help them build from where they are.
Research conducted with Yale University and the Dana-Farber Institute has also found that participants experienced improvements in physical activity, quality of life, and fitness performance, along with decreases in cancer-related fatigue.
Strength That Goes Beyond Exercise
For Mary Ann, some of the program's most meaningful benefits came from the people around her.
"I felt accepted by this small class," she said. "We all had different personalities, but as a group I felt we learned to listen to each other and give support in many ways."
By the end of 12 weeks, she felt stronger physically and emotionally and had new tools to continue moving forward. That combination of movement, confidence, and connection is what Livestrong at the YMCA is built to provide: a supportive place for survivors to continue moving forward.
Button: GET STARTED WITH LIVESTRONG AT THE YMCA
GET STARTED WITH LIVESTRONG AT THE YMCA