Breast Cancer Exercise Rehabilitation Strength & Courage DVD Extends to Rural Appalachian Population
Monday, July 26, 2010

Dr. Sharon Cowden and Janette Poppenberg, a Health Fitness Specialist® certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, have dedicated endless hours educating health care providers and survivors about the importance of exercise in achieving a full recovery after breast cancer surgery. Their non-profit DVD, Strength & Courage: Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors, showcases exercises geared to help survivors return to the life they knew before their cancer diagnosis.

To the right: Janette Poppenberg and Dr. Sharon Cowden's hope is to disseminate their exercise DVD to all women undergoing breast cancer surgery.

Nearly 10,000 copies of the DVD have been disseminated to survivors since 2008. They hope to expand their outreach to rural areas and jumpstarted this initiative at this year’s StrongWomen: New STEPS (Strength Through Education, Physical Fitness and Support) to Breast Health” program workshop.

Dr. Cowden and Ms. Poppenberg were invited to speak at the StrongWomen program workshop on May 25 to 26, 2010 in Mercer, PA. The workshop, established by the Penn State College of Medicine through the Northern Appalachia Cancer Network, trained site leaders to be able to lead a 12-week program targeting rural Appalachian regions. The new site leaders, representing hospitals, YWCAs, YMCAs, wellness programs, and state health agencies, will return to their communities and provide information and support on nutrition and breast health. The program creators felt that the Strength & Courage DVD complimented this workshop well, and copies were administered to every site leader and other collaborative community partners to distribute to local hospitals and breast cancer survivor groups.

The StrongWomen program aims to reduce the threat of osteoporosis, decrease the risk factors for breast cancer, encourage breast screenings, and improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors. The program, partially funded by the Pittsburgh Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will be implemented in six Appalachian counties in Western Pennsylvania because these areas demonstrate a high prevalence of risk factors for breast cancer, such as physical inactivity, obesity, and limited availability of preventative health care.  

At the workshop, Dr. Cowden discussed how stretching and weight training will not only enhance women’s upper body strength and flexibility but also improve bone health impaired by some of the newer hormonal agents used in treatment. She also presented recent data on the importance of aerobic exercise to reduce recurrence of breast cancer. Candidly, she described her own difficulty with rehabilitation.

Slow and steadily progressive exercise was the approach shared by Ms. Poppenberg to the site trainers. With her clients who are survivors, she begins with stretching exercises, and slowly advances them to weight training. She stated aerobic activity should be done at least 30 minutes, three to five times per week. Standing at the podium, Ms. Poppenberg led the group in a series of stretching exercises performed on the DVD.

All women over 40, including breast cancer survivors, are encouraged to attend the StrongWomen: New STEPS program. The 12-week supervised exercise program was found to have both physical and psychological benefits on quality of life for survivors. The StrongWomen program, along with Dr. Cowden and Ms. Poppenberg, are making great strides in disseminating resources to help rehabilitate breast cancer survivors. Working with researchers from the Penn State University program to reach women in rural areas helps to fulfill their goal of distributing their exercise DVD to women undergoing breast cancer treatment, regardless of their location.

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