Valere Health

28/10/2025

Is Pilates enough for strength training? 🤔
Short answer — no. And that’s coming from a Pilates instructor.

Pilates is brilliant for:
✨ Core control
✨ Posture and balance
✨ Body awareness and movement quality

But here’s the thing — it’s not enough load to build or maintain muscle and bone strength as we age.
To protect yourself from frailty, falls, and bone loss, your body needs progressive resistance — exercises that challenge your muscles beyond their comfort zone.

🔹 Think: lifting weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight training that actually feels hard by the last few reps. Also add in jumping like skipping or stomping
🔹 Pilates? Keep it in your week — it’s a great complement for mobility and stability.
Just don’t rely on it as your only “strength” session.

👉 Save this if you’ve ever wondered where Pilates fits in your strength program and follow us to find out how you can do this at home

16/10/2025

Exercise can reduce fatigue, boost energy, and support your body’s resilience during radiation therapy.
By managing side effects and keeping you stronger, it can help you complete all your sessions without interruption and maybe help it work a little better.

💡 Radiation therapy needs oxygen to target tumours effectively — and exercise helps by boosting blood flow and oxygen delivery to your tissues, which may enhance the treatment effect.
PMID: 32632128

Start small — even 10 minutes a day makes a difference — and build up to 30 minutes as your energy allows.
Choose activities that get your blood pumping and make you a little short of breath, such as:
🚶‍♀️ Walking
💃 Dancing
🚴 Cycling
🥾 Hill walks

🌡️ If heat or skin changes are an issue, exercise indoors or in air-conditioning to stay comfortable.
To increase intensity, find a hill or hop on a bike — getting a bit huff and puff helps your heart rate rise and blood flow improve.

If you’re not sure where to begin, start with gentle stretching or Pilates-style movements to move your body safely and build confidence.

✨ More energy, less fatigue, and improved strength — exercise helps you feel better and get the most from your treatment.

Contact Valere Health today to get started
valere@valerehealth.com.au

01/07/2025

Do you have Breast Cancer and struggling with side effects? Exercise can help you! At Valere Health with have specifically designed treatment plans and group programs to help you manage and improve common side effects to breast cancer treatments like cording, fatigue, GIT upset, lymphoedema, neuropathy all while reducing your risk of recurrence!

Comment breast cancer to try a free group class after your initial assessment and treatment plan!

04/06/2025

NEW RESEARCH || structured exercise can IMPROVE overall and progression survival in colon cancer patients.

This provides greater protection than many cancer drugs like oxaliplatin (a chemotherapy drug)

What this means: Exercise should be treated like medicine during and after your cancer treatment and can significantly improve your survival.

HOW: start with 10minutes a day and build from there - comment below “HOW” to find out more!

Maximising the type and intensity can help add to the benefits!

02/02/2025

Happy Monday from Valere Health || Dudgo has been kicking off his week with a 7am session on a Monday for 7 years now and wouldn’t have it any other way 💪🏼

11/12/2024

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK || single leg bicep curls are a regular feature at Valere. Anthony is undergoing round 1 chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and currently has a chemotherapy pump on. We are starting balance training early on to help manage the potential onset of peripheral neuropathy and build muscle at the same time.

20/11/2024

NEW RESEARCH || Ever wondered how exercise might suppress cancer growth?

Watch this video or read the new blog post
https://www.valerehealth.com.au/post/can-exercise-suppress-cancer-growth-new-research-alert

Key Findings
⭐Exercise ⬇ the risk of cancer recurrence.
⭐Pre-clinical murine and in vitro models have demonstrated that exercise ⬇ tumour and cancer cell growth, mediated by exercise-induced myokines (IL-6 and IL-15).
⭐High-intensity interval exercise significantly ⬆ myokines associated with the anti-oncogenic effect of exercise and the magnitude of response was associated with lean mass
⭐Given IL-15 has been implicated in the anti-oncogenic effect of exercise and is being explored as an immunotherapy agent, high-intensity interval exercise may improve outcomes for people living beyond cancer through IL-15-mediated pathways.
⭐Interventions that increase lean mass may also enhance this response.

Try this:
Jog on the spot, dance, or walk up a hill for 30s-3mins then spend equal time recovering moving easy before repeating 3-5 times.
**It is recommended to seek individualised advice before commencing

Reach out to Valere Health today
www.valerehealth.com.au to get started today

23/10/2024

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT || Debbie started training with Valere early this year after treatment for lymphoma. She is now fitter, stronger, and has a whole heap more confidence in herself and her body.

See a snippet of a circuit with Sarah
1. Sit to stands to build leg strength - try 3x10
2. Crab walks for hip stability - try 3x 10 steps ea side
3. Tandem stance with arm raises - for balance and strength try 3x8es

Hear from Debbie herself
“In 2023 I was treated with chemotherapy along with an immunotherapy infusion for six treatments. On completion in December I was very weak, especially with hip and back pain.
I have been under the supervision of Sarah at Valere Health since April this year.
Sarah has created exercises to target and strengthen my weakest areas as well as encouraged me to use exercise as a means to build my immunity.
She is lovely, very supportive and knowledgeable and
I am much stronger as a result.
As well as the usual treatments, I feel going to Valere Health has empowered me to do something for myself in managing my cancer diagnosis.
Thankyou Morgan and Sarah.”

22/08/2024

23/01/2024

FUNDING || Cancer is expensive however, exercise can help decrease health care costs. But how can we afford it?

People with a diagnosis of cancer are eligible for Medicare rebates for exercise physiology and private health rebates.

Read our latest blog post to find out more
https://www.valerehealth.com.au/post/funding-for-exercise-and-cancer