Joe Blumberg is a two year survivor of prostate cancer. He underwent robotic-assisted surgery and radiation therapy at Saint Joseph’s in 2007. Joe and his wife, Cathleen, are active members of the Men’s Health & Wellness Center with Joe serving on both the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Advisory Board. Joe and Cathleen are also regular participants in both prostate cancer support groups at Saint Joseph’s.
Question: How has joining a yoga class helped you?
Answer: Stretch, stretch, and don’t forget to breathe.
You would think that breathing would be a primary reflex, but in some of those yoga positions, breathing is the last thing you think about. It must be a female thing. They seem to be able to do it with very little effort. Real men don’t do yoga, we bench press 250 pounds.
When I was getting a radiation touch-up after surgery, I noticed a flier for the yoga class and decided to try it. It certainly couldn’t hurt and I might like it, and I knew that there were always good looking women in yoga. What I soon realized is that I didn’t have time to appreciate the class scenery. The muscles that I was using so easily several years ago had now atrophied to the point where I could not easily touch my toes or stand on one leg without support.
I certainly didn’t need an organized class to do yoga, but the class taught me how to do it right, how to get a little more each time and not strain, how to improve my flexibility and my balance, and how to get in tune with what my body was telling me about aging. If I wanted to remain active, I was going to have to pay more attention to what I eat, how it affects my weight, and the importance of stretching those atrophied muscles to avoid more serious pain and injury. I’m not yet back to bench pressing 250, but the yoga is helping me get there, and the increased flexibility has helped me lower my handicap.
