

I remember the first time I felt really truly grateful for my body.
I was in hospital having chemotherapy. Watching the toxic yet life-saving chemicals pump down through the tubes and into my veins. I wrapped my arms around myself, closed my eyes, and felt connected and grateful to my body in a way I’d never felt before.
I realised that this was my one precious vehicle for life, and it was doing everything it could to fight the good fight.
I remember making a promise to my body to look after it in the future, and never again take it for granted.
But you know it’s all well and good to make big bold promises to yourself in dramatic life-altering moments. Sticking to those lofty notions however can be tough.
I’m so fortunate to be in remission and out the other side of my cancer experience, but I’ve really struggled to find the motivation and time to exercise regularly now life has returned ‘to normal’.
Let’s be honest, we can all be pretty great at finding excuses to avoid exercise. So I was excited to learn about Cancer Council’s The March Charge, which is a really fun way to inspire you to walk, run and get that body moving in March while raising money for cancer research.
You can also do any other activity you like such as yoga, dancing, hiking or swimming – anything you can track by GPS, so you know how many kilometres you’re doing. And you can get your family and friends to sponsor you or make a team and join in together.
Because here is the crazy thing.
One third of all cancers can be prevented.
I’ll say that again. One third of all cancers can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle, which means exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight. Trust me as someone who has been through chemotherapy and has been fortunate enough to make a full recovery, if you can give it a miss, you really want to. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
In fact, 37,000 cancer cases in Australia could be avoided by prevention alone every year.
The March Charge can kickstart your fitness motivation.
