How I get fit done
Lyndsey Procter, 38, a sales account manager from Burnley, shares how a devastating diagnosis led her to deadlifting 80kg
It started with a gurgling sound. It was May 2019, and the noise rose in my throat whenever I swallowed food. Within months, I could hardly keep any food down. I saw several doctors, but everyone told me the same thing: I was too young to have cancer.
A precautionary endoscopy followed and a scan of my upper digestive system revealed a 5cm tumour at the bottom of my oesophagus. After another (fullbody) scan, a doctor delivered the news: I had stage 3 stomach cancer. I was almost relieved; I finally knew why I was so unwell. Then Covid hit.
Terrified of catching it – and what the repercussions would be – Ispent the first lockdown confined to my house, leaving only for chemotherapy and hospital appointments. Exacerbating the fear even further was the news that the kind of surgery I needed to remove the tumour was the biggest operation the human body can go through, involving breaking my ribs and deflating my lung.
I knew I needed to keep moving to stay strong, so in preparation, I bought a home treadmill and I’d do short dumbbell workouts, too. Still, recovery was slow. Post-procedure, I spent a week in intensive care; something as simple as walking down a corridor felt like climbing a mountain. But after 12 rounds of chemo, and a further three months of recovery time, I was allowed to start exercising again.
I started with 10-minute walks on the treadmill, building up to half an hour. I kitted out my home workout space with a Pilates bar and resistance bands, using them up to four times a week. Every session was a challenge, but as long as I was making progress, I was happy.
It was a frie
