Howie has been an avid cyclist most of his adult life, with mileage equivalent to a few laps around the planet. But more remarkable is that he has done a good bit of that cycling with cancer – in fact, through six cases of lymphoma. 

Howie credits cancer therapies for surviving this odyssey but is quick to add that cycling has contributed, too. “Because of all the riding I do,” he says, “they’re able to hit me harder with chemo, with radiation, when they have to.”

Exercise oncologist Dr. Katie Schmitz (University of Pittsburgh) concurs. 

“Think about a little old lady, 85 years old, weighs 90 pounds soaking wet,” says Dr. Schmitz. “Then think about a regular cyclist – you are able to hit the one who has more muscle harder, which is treating the tumor better. “

Need to change gears on your commitment to exercise? Listen in for some inspiration from Cyclist for Life Howie. 

Original music by Ryan Adair RooneySHOW NOTESExpert Guests:Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Moving Through CancerFormerly: Penn State Cancer Institute

Leading researcher in exercise oncology

Notable Publications: 

Moving through cancer: Setting the agenda to make exercise standard in oncology practice

American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable Report on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Cancer Prevention and Control

Articles of Interest:

Annals of Oncology: Risk for second malignancies in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors: a meta-analysis

Annals of Oncology: I. Epidemiology of adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma

NYT: What to Know About Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

The Atlantic: I’LL TELL YOU THE SECRET OF CANCER

Resources:

What is Cancer?

Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma

Cancer Data and Statistics

Leading Causes of Death in the US

Chemotherapy: R-CHOP

The New England Classic

Pan-Mass Challenge

The Bon Ton Rulet

More at www.mybodyodyssey.com

Follow us on:Twitter: @mybodyodysseyFacebook: @mybodyodysseypodInstagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast

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