Survivors Exercise Together: The Benefits of Movement During COVID-19 Video Series

Physical movement is an important part of your cancer survivor journey. While social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have temporarily closed down gyms, swimming pools and other recreational facilities, cancer patients and other immunocompromised individuals will still have to remain vigilant when public places reopen. Fortunately, there are ways to stay active at home. The Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) is pleased to present Survivors Exercise Together—#SETgoMOVE—a six-part video series on the benefits of movement during COVID-19.

This video series is hosted by Shannon Armbruster, MD, MPH, gynecologic oncologist at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA, with exercises led by Patrick Dunham, MS, CSCS, Clinical Programs Manager at Carilion Clinic. In each installment, Patrick and a gynecologic cancer survivor demonstrate moves you can easily do at home that do not require additional exercise equipment. FWC is hosting a related patient webinar, Survivors Exercise Together: The Benefits of Movement During COVID-19, which includes additional tips and tricks to staying healthy and active during this challenging time. There is a downloadable #SETgoMOVE PDF document featuring all of the exercises featured in this video series.

If you are a gynecologic cancer survivor who wants to demonstrate how you have been able to keep moving during this time, feel free to post a video of yourself on social media using the hashtag #SETgoMOVE.

Survivors Exercise Together: The Benefits of Movement During COVID-19

Part 1: Warm Up

The first video in this series is a seated dynamic warm-up, focused on strengthening and warming up the muscles of the entire body. This can be used as a workout in itself or as a prerequisite warm up to do a different type of workout.

Part 2: Arm Strength

The arm strength workout depicted in the second video of this series can be accomplished by using household items as weights, such as cans of food, but using weights is not required. It is most important to establish a good quality movement for all of the exercises being demonstrated in this video before adding any weights.

Part 3: Lower Body Strength

Part #3 of this video series focuses on lower body strength and requires minimal or no equipment. Instructor Patrick Dunham will also discuss some different modifications and levels of difficulty as well.

Part 4: Back Strength

A back strength workout is the focus of Part #4. In addition to strengthening the back, these movements also strengthen other supporting muscles that patients might not be used to exercising. Patients can use household items, such as cans of food, as weights if they don’t have access to handheld dumbbells.

Part 5: Shoulder Mobility

Part #5 of the Survivors Exercise Together video series is a shoulder mobility workout routine, which will increase the mobility and flexibility of the shoulders as well as strengthen the muscles that control the shoulders.

Part 6: Shoulder Strength

The sixth and final video of the Survivors Exercise Together series will deal with shoulder strength. While weights are not being used in this particular demonstration, patients are welcome to use soup cans, dumbbells, water bottles or other items as weights for added resistance to this workout.