051 Ovarian Cancer and Activity with Alison Salmond

In this week's episode I am talking to Alison Salmond about her experience with ovarian cancer and why activity is important. This episode is being shared during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

We discuss:

• symptoms of ovarian cancer
• how subtle those symptoms can be
• the impact cancer had on her activity levels
• how to exercise to tolerance
• why building your exercise during cancer treatment may not be linear

I hope that by sharing Alison's story we are able to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and also inform people of how important activity can be. 

About Alison:
Alison has nearly 40 years in the exercise industry, with approximately 24 years dedicated to teaching Pilates. She is fully certified and in both the Classical and Contemporary methods and still believes there is much to learn with this fascinating exercise regime. 

Alison is also former Osteopath and Cranial Sacral Therapist. She was also a Lead Instructor Trainer for Merrithew Corporation (STOTT PILATES) for approximately 15 years and was part of the YMCAfit tutoring and curriculum development team for over 20 years.

Alison has maintained her own fitness with regular running, weight training and 

Pilates. In 2020, Alison and her family located to Andalusia to find a better work/life balance. Everything seemed to be slotting into place, until April 2022, where she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Post surgery alongside chemotherapy treatment, she has been declared ´cancer=free´, a great relief to all who know her. 

Alison is extremely passionate about both teaching and the history of Pilates and loves passing her gained knowledge on to Pilates students and teachers alike. 

Alison believes in maintaining standards across the industry to ensure both the teacher and clients receive the education promised to them. Her dream is to provide a balanced view of both classical and contemporary training and to see both worlds unite; acknowledging their similarities as well as respecting their differences; to encourage the next generation of Pilates participants. 

Website:  www.alisonsalmond.com

The link for the Pilates retreat:  https://www.alisonsalmond.com/womens-health.htm

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 spar

For more about the training and support Sarah offers, visit www.sarahbolitho.com or contact her at admin@sarahbolitho.com.

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

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:29 Diagnosis and treatment
• 3:05 Recognising symptoms
• 6:39 Listening to your body
• 10:21 Impact on activity
• 14:51 Exercise to tolerance
• 18:29 Finding what works for you
• 20:03 Importance of appropriate advice
• 23:02 Reducing expectations and setting goals
• 29:06 Creating a regular exercise habit
• 34:12 Maintaining an active lifestyle during treatment
• 35:04 Benefits of meditation
• 37:19 Importance of a quick diagnois
• 38:03 Finding what works for you
• 39:20 Pilates as a meditative exericse
• 41:00 Conclusion and retreats