030 How cancer got me active with Rebecca Vincent

Creating Active Lives

In this week's episode I would like to welcome my guest, Rebecca Vincent. Rebecca shares with us today her inspiring story about staying active during and after her breast cancer treatment.

We discuss:

• the role of physical activity in recovery
• finding support and encouragement
• overcoming challenges and staying motivated
• how movement can support others going through cancer treatment.

Hearing Rebecca's story really brings to the fore how you can create a movement practice even whilst in treatment and how it can be important in your recovery. I hope this inspires others on their cancer journey to know movement is still achievable.

About Rebecca:
Rebecca Vincent works in HR and four years ago was diagnosed with breast cancer. This month, October 2023, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it seemed like a nice juxtaposition to actually have a guest on to talk about her experience. While sporadically active before, the diagnosis made her reevaluate her activity levels and she researched what she could do, found opportunities, and created a much more active life for herself.

The reason her diagnosis came about was because she was made redundant from a company that offered a health screening programme. She had never taken advantage of this, but her redundancy made her decide to go through with the health screening during which they offered the option of doing a mammogram even though she was well under 50 at the time and had no symptoms or risk factors. The screening picked up something that was suspicious, and they contacted her to say, go to your GP, make sure you follow this up which she did and got the diagnosis of breast cancer.

So that was how it was picked up – the message to all of you, male, female, non-binary, EVERYONE, is to go for your routine screening whatever it is for, take advantage of work-based health screening check yourself regularly and make sure you know your bodies as the earlier cancer Is detected, the better the outcome may be.

About Sarah:
Sarah Bolitho helps fitness and health professionals develop their careers and grow their businesses by providing specialist training in teaching, assessing, and internal quality assurance, together with qualifications in exercise referral and disability.

With over 30 years in the health-related fitness and physical activity fields, Sarah has a wealth of experience and knowledge. She has worked in most roles in the industry from group exercise to personal training but specialised in working with specialist populations. For over 25 years Sarah has trained fitness and health professionals to work with clients with long-term conditions, mental health issues, disabilities, older adults and pre/post-natal women. She has a post-graduate diploma in exercise and health behaviour and extensive training in supporting behaviour change. She has worked with awarding organisations to develop qualifications and training and with accreditation bodies to endorse high-quality non-regulated training.

In her spare time, you will usually find Sarah walking in the mountains, by the sea or anywhere in nature.

For more about the training and support Sarah offers, visit www.sarahbolitho.com or contact her at [e-mail].
Follow her on social media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabnewlous_active_lives
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitnesscareer mentor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbolitho