Our Bodies Are Worth Celebrating: Finding Strength After Cancer
What if we spent a little less time thinking about what our bodies can't do and a little more time celebrating what they can?
I've been thinking about this a lot since taking part in Battle Cancer London with two incredible teams from our Get Me Back community.
It was a day full of determination, teamwork, laughter and some seriously hard work.
Watching everyone challenge themselves, support one another and enjoy the experience made me incredibly proud.
But it wasn't about how much weight anyone lifted, how quickly they finished or where we placed.
It was about seeing people who have experienced cancer discovering what their bodies are capable of.
And that's something worth celebrating.
Learning to appreciate our bodies after cancer
Cancer can change our relationship with our bodies.
Scars, fatigue, joint pain, reduced strength, early menopause or simply not feeling like ourselves anymore can make it difficult to appreciate what our bodies can still do.
It's easy to compare ourselves with who we were before cancer, focusing on what we've lost rather than recognising what we've gained.
I understand that feeling. My own experience of cancer and its treatment has changed my relationship with my body too.
But I've learned that we can acknowledge what our bodies have been through while still feeling proud of what they're capable of today.
We don't have to love everything about our bodies all the time. Sometimes simply appreciating them a little more is enough.
Strength looks different for everyone
At Battle Cancer, strength looked like teamwork, determination and challenging workouts.
But I see just as much strength in our Get Me Back classes every week.
It's there when someone picks up a dumbbell for the first time after treatment, returns to exercise after a difficult few weeks, tries a heavier weight or learns to listen to their body and take a rest day.
These achievements matter just as much as completing a fitness competition.
Strength isn't always about lifting more or pushing harder. It's also about confidence, consistency and learning to trust your body again.
Looking back at Reset & Rebuild
As we finish our eight-week Reset & Rebuild programme, we're taking a bonus week to revisit some of the exercises we started with in September.
Not to compare ourselves with anyone else, but to recognise our own progress.
Perhaps your squat feels stronger, your balance has improved or you're more confident joining a class.
Maybe you've found a routine that works around treatment, work or family life. Or perhaps you've discovered that missing a few weeks doesn't mean giving up.
That's progress too.
And if you haven't managed to get started yet, there's still time. Your next step doesn't need to be big.
What are you proud of?
As we celebrate the end of Reset & Rebuild, I'd love you to think about one thing your body has helped you achieve recently.
It might be something physical, something that took courage or simply getting through a difficult period.
You don't need to run a race, lift a particular weight or enter a competition to prove anything after cancer.
Your achievements belong to you, and they're worth recognising.
So let's celebrate our bodies, not for being perfect or for doing everything we ask of them, but for everything they continue to make possible.
Be proud of what you've achieved and excited about what might come next.
Sarah x
Founder, Get Me Back
Ready to discover what your body can do?
Get Me Back offers specialist online exercise classes for people affected by cancer, helping you build strength, confidence and fitness at your own pace.
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