Reasons to Run 3: Osteoporosis

Regular physical exercise, such as running can increase and maintain bone strength by increasing bone mass and therefore decreases the risk of developing osteoporosis.

One side effect of my current condition as an oestrogen-free zone (thanks to Armidex and Zolodex) is the increased chance of losing bone mineral density and therefore developing osteoporosis.

As well as taking calcium supplements, I figure that my running also helps cancel out this potential side-effect. Plus, it's good for me in other ways too!

More information about preventing osteoporosis is on the Osteoporosis Australia website.

An excellent resource about Arimidex (and other cancer things) can be found on Macmillan's cancer support site.

Arimidex Consumer Medicine Information (PDF)

There is an interesting article about aromatase inhibitors (such as arimidex) here.

Reasons to Run 2: It's easy

One thing I like about running is that it doesn't take too much physical coordination.

Basically, it's putting one foot in front of the other. Admittedly,  I do think about where and how my feet, knees, shoulders and arms are positioned when I run, because I understand that this is important for short- and long-term injury prevention.

BUT

I don't have to worry about catching or throwing a ball, using a stick or bat, or coordinating with other people. Yes, I do have to manoeuvre around pedestrians, bus stops, cyclists, and sometimes run on and off the footpath, but generally that's the extent of it - and that suits me just fine!

To paraphrase Phoebe from Friends: it doesn't
matter how you run because you only see
(other people) the one time and then you pass
them by.

OK, so my running style isn't quite as energetic or unique as hers... but it's still fun!

Reasons to Run 1: It's cheap

The best part about running is that unless I want to, I don't have to pay any fees to join a gym, club, group, or employ a personal trainer. Cost is important, because for me, living with the after-effects of cancer diagnosis means my cash-flow isn't as healthy as it was in the past.

The only start-up costs are a decent pair of running shoes:

... and a sports bra:

I got my running shoes on sale from a shop in the city for $AU 70 and my bra from a department store for around $AU 60. No fancy bells and whistles, no special clothes, no ipod, no timer, no pedometer, no-thing else ... I am set to go!