Here are a few of my favorite takeaways:

• Yoga can make you instantly feel more grounded; people with cancer can feel better physically and mentally from stretching. 
• Nutrition that sustains you is more important than ever when your health is compromised.
• People with cancer benefit from support and practical advice; find a community either online or in person. 
• Find an accountability partner; they will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses on your journey to recovery. 

Important Links:

• Website: www.cancerchampionfitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancerchampionfitness/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cancerchampionfitness/

About Jen Miramonets:

Sports and fitness have always been an important part of my life. I was a four-sport high school athlete, participated in team sports in college, and have run hundreds of marathons and half-marathons. After graduating from Pepperdine University, I spent decades on parallel paths, working in both the corporate and fitness worlds. About 10 years ago, I made the decision to focus my career on fitness, working as a personal trainer and launching a successful boutique fitness studio.

Then, about five years ago, I realized my true calling was to help cancer patients, survivors, and those who want to live healthy and active lives. In researching ways to support cancer patients through fitness and nutrition, I found there was really nowhere cancer patients could find great information and a caring community, all in one place – that’s why I started Cancer Champion Fitness. 

Here is the story of how this unique resource for cancer patients came to be: “I want to hike in and out of the Grand Canyon.” Those were the words my mom said to me upon hearing her diagnosis of terminal cancer. We knew the average person with my mother’s diagnosis did not have long to live, so I immediately began training my mom for her hike. Following her first round of radiation and chemo, Joanna Dunlap Cowden indeed hiked in and out of the Grand Canyon. After the successful, challenging, and emotional trip, I committed to deepening my understanding of the special challenges faced by cancer patients. I earned a Medical Exercise Certification, with an emphasis on cancer. 

While I ran a successful fitness studio, led a variety of classes, and provided personal training for many clients, I continued to search for ways to specifically support cancer patients, including volunteering to support cancer-focused nonprofit organizations.

Then, at a friend’s barbecue, I met Ann Murray Paige. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 at age 38. Within minutes, we realized there was a reason we were both at this gathering. Both of us grew up diehard Boston sports fans in New England, and we were both on a mission to support people on their cancer journeys. Ann had been reaching cancer patients and survivors through books, short films and speaking engagements, and I had been using my expertise in health, fitness, and nutrition to support cancer patients with specialized training and workouts.

Ann and I became a team. I learned about the challenges that cancer patients face from her, and she learned about fitness and nutrition from me. We also became great friends. Our families hung out and took trips together, and we even went to the final game of the Red Sox 2013 World Series championship in Boston together.

Before Ann lost her long and courageous battle with breast cancer in 2014, she said I gave her “five extra years” of being with her children, having fun, working out, living life, and finding joy. She also told me that helping cancer patients one by one was not enough. She told me to figure out a way to reach more people with the fitness and nutrition program I had developed, and to continue to grow the supportive community for cancer patients that we had begun to build.

Ann’s words gave me the determination to do what I had been thinking of, which was to focus more of my time and energy into a program designed specifically for, and responsive to, cancer patients and survivors.

I went on to earn a Cancer Exercise Specialist certification, one of just 500 certificates that have – to date – been awarded worldwide. As a result, I launched Cancer Champion Fitness.

Being able to be so deeply involved in both my mother’s and Ann’s lives and battles against cancer was a privilege I will never take for granted. Helping them fulfill their dreams and live life on their terms has changed the way I approach fitness and nutrition, and I am fully committed to making a difference for those fighting all forms of this horrible disease.

To support as many people as possible, Cancer Champion Fitness is specifically designed to be an online program that provides specialized fitness training and nutrition plans for cancer fighters and survivors, and for those simply hoping to avoid ever having cancer. The program offers a variety of workouts for all fitness levels, trauma-informed yoga practices, and wellness-focused meal planning and recipes. Cancer Champion Fitness also creates community by hosting live video calls and a private Facebook Group.

So much of what informs the work we do at Cancer Champion Fitness comes from what I have learned from my mother and Ann, and from what I have learned working with so many others along the way.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!

• Here’s How »

Join the Inspired Living with Keri Murphy Community today:

• http://www.inspiredliving.tv/podcast

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Facebook

• YouTube