Dr. Martha Eddy, CMA, EdD, exercise physiologist and movement therapist, is the founder and director of Movement for Life and designer of a special dance-exercise program for cancer survivors called Moving On that includes gentle stretching and aerobics.  Here she talks about Moving On aerobics and what made her create a special aerobics class for cancer survivors. 

Q: What made you create Moving On aerobics classes for cancer survivors?

Before I began teaching programs to breast cancer survivors, I worked closely with someone who survived breast cancer so I could better understand the feelings and pain she felt during her treatment.  This helped me become sensitive to the needs of cancer patients so I could fine tune exercises to meet their needs.  It also helped me include other things in my Moving On aerobics classes that can be helpful in the healing process, such as bringing happiness to each exercise.

Q: What are some of the benefits of Moving On classes?

Like typical aerobics programs, Moving On also involves walking at a quick pace to increase the heart rate and warm-up your body to start exercising.  We also like to include gentle stretching in Movement for Life classes to increase flexibility. We often use light weights and Thera-bands® to make the body stronger.  This is especially important for the elderly, who may have a greater chance of having osteoporosis and muscular weakness.  Our exercises help prevent the elderly from falling by building muscle strength.   By teaching people how to use their feet and legs to make quick weight shifts, I can help a person learn how to catch themselves before they fall or to recover quickly from the beginning of a fall–avoiding serious injury. 

Q: Besides the exercises you use in Moving On aerobics, what other activities does kinesthetic education include?

A: The activities are different based on the program, class, and individual.  It could be parent education about how babies move, helping teachers understand the importance of movement in the classroom, and the joy of dancing.  Many of my breast cancer programs involve some type of dance.  The dancing we do is very gentle.  The focus is on improving breathing and bringing awareness to each part of the body.  We also use music to support the dancing because research shows that music improves people’s moods. 

For more information on Moving On Aerobics you can visit www.MovingOnAerobics.org. To contact Dr. Martha Eddy at MarthaEddy@wellnessCKE.net or call (212) 414-2921.

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with local health experts written by HHPC and approved by our Health Advisory Board.