Move to Thrive - Esti van Rooyen Biokineticists

Move to Thrive - Esti van Rooyen Biokineticists The term comes from "bio" (life) and "kinetics" (movement), meaning they focus on improving quality of life through scientifically designed movement.

A biokineticist is a healthcare professional who specializes in exercise therapy to improve physical functioning, manage chronic conditions, and aid in injury rehabilitation. Key Roles of a Biokineticist:
Rehabilitation: Assists individuals recovering from injuries or surgeries, especially orthopedic (e.g., knee, back, shoulder) injuries. Chronic Disease Management: Designs exercise programs for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, or osteoporosis. Performance Enhancement: Helps athletes or active individuals improve strength, flexibility, and biomechanical efficiency. Injury Prevention: Assesses movement patterns and corrects imbalances to reduce injury risk. Postural and Functional Assessments: Analyzes body mechanics and posture to develop targeted exercise interventions. Biokineticists typically work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals like physiotherapists, doctors, and personal trainers, and their services are evidence-based and tailored to individual needs.

Whether you’ve had a lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph node dissection, or reconstruction, the body adapts - often protectiv...
24/10/2025

Whether you’ve had a lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph node dissection, or reconstruction, the body adapts - often protectively - by tightening, guarding, or compensating.
You may notice:

Rounded shoulders or forward head posture

Limited arm mobility or shoulder stiffness

Chest tightness or pulling across scars

Asymmetry when reaching, lifting, or exercising

These patterns can lead to chronic pain, lymphedema risk, and reduced function - unless addressed through targeted movement and postural retraining.

Your body has already fought hard for your life. Now, it deserves the freedom to move and thrive again.

💪 Movement is medicine.Research shows that gentle, guided exercise during cancer treatment can:✨ Reduce fatigue and naus...
23/10/2025

💪 Movement is medicine.
Research shows that gentle, guided exercise during cancer treatment can:
✨ Reduce fatigue and nausea
🧠 Improve mood and sleep
💗 Protect muscle and bone strength
🌸 Speed up recovery after surgery

At The Cancer Move Project, we’re helping breast cancer patients rebuild strength and confidence — before, during, and after treatment.

Every stretch, every step, every breath makes a difference.
And with your help, we can reach more women who need this care.

🔗 Support the project via BackaBuddy (link in bio)
Together, we can make healing through movement a reality. 💕

Here’s what the science and clinical practice show:Lowers recurrence risk - Regular activity reduces the likelihood of c...
22/10/2025

Here’s what the science and clinical practice show:

Lowers recurrence risk - Regular activity reduces the likelihood of cancer coming back.

Improves survival - Active survivors live longer, period.

Fights fatigue - Gentle movement is more effective than rest for treatment-related exhaustion.

Protects your bones and muscles - Especially important with hormonal therapies that weaken bone density.

Restores your confidence - Exercise gives you back strength, posture, and independence.

Improves brain health and mood – Less “chemo brain,” less depression, more focus.










17/10/2025

During Treatment:

Gentle walks, stretching, breathing exercises.

Break into “movement snacks” of 5-10 minutes.

Focus on what feels possible, not perfect.

Early Recovery:

Light strength training (bands, bodyweight) 2-3x per week.

Postural correction exercises: rows, wall angels, chest openers.

Balance drills and mobility stretches.

Long-Term Survivorship:

150 minutes of cardio each week (brisk walks, swimming, cycling).

2-3 days of strength work targeting major muscle groups.

Daily flexibility and mobility work.

Active living: gardening, dancing, hiking - whatever brings you joy.









Healing isn’t linear. It’s messy, an emotional rollercoaster, and filled with moments of self-doubt as well as doubt for...
15/10/2025

Healing isn’t linear. It’s messy, an emotional rollercoaster, and filled with moments of self-doubt as well as doubt for the medical system. That’s why I teach mindset practices alongside movement. If your inner dialogue doesn’t shift, no workout will stick. Having lived with body dysmorphia for decades, I know this personally, and all to well. If you believe you are strong, you will be strong. If you believe you are beautiful, you are beautiful. And if you believe you are healthy, you will be healthy.

"The body follows where the mind leads."










Strength training reduces recurrence risk, improves bone density, restores metabolism, and builds confidence. But jumpin...
14/10/2025

Strength training reduces recurrence risk, improves bone density, restores metabolism, and builds confidence. But jumping in too soon—or following a generic program—can backfire.

You need progressive, oncology-informed programming that respects your stage of healing and your unique needs.










Launch of The Cancer Move Project🎗️ This October, I’m starting something close to my heart…It’s called The Cancer Move P...
14/10/2025

Launch of The Cancer Move Project

🎗️ This October, I’m starting something close to my heart…
It’s called The Cancer Move Project 💕

As a biokineticist, I’ve seen how cancer treatment changes lives — not just physically, but emotionally too.
Many patients finish treatment feeling weak, tired, and unsure how to move again.

That’s where we come in.
✨ The Cancer Move Project helps patients rebuild their strength, confidence, and quality of life — through safe, guided exercise before, during, and after cancer treatment.

This project also supports vital research to show how movement truly heals. 💪

🌷 Your support can make it happen.
Every donation helps a cancer survivor move again — with hope, strength, and dignity.

🔗 Click the link in my bio to support The Cancer Move Project on BackaBuddy.
Together, we can make healing through movement a reality. 💗

Surgery, scars, and protective guarding can cause the shoulders to round forward, the chest to tighten may also be accom...
07/10/2025

Surgery, scars, and protective guarding can cause the shoulders to round forward, the chest to tighten may also be accompanied by ischemia, which can exacerbate pain), and the upper back to stiffen. Over time, that can lead to chronic pain, neck tension, and even breathing issues.

Functional movement is key: Gentle myofascial work. Mobility training. And strengthening the right muscles at the right time with a focus on activities of daily living (ADLs).









If you’ve had lymph nodes removed or irradiated, you’re at risk for lymphedema—even if no one told you.I’ve worked with ...
06/10/2025

If you’ve had lymph nodes removed or irradiated, you’re at risk for lymphedema—even if no one told you.

I’ve worked with countless women who thought swelling in their arm or chest was “just part of healing” or were told it was just a little swelling, only to be diagnosed months (or years) later.

Early signs include:

A heavy or achy feeling in your arm

Swelling that comes and goes

A tight sensation in your chest wall or armpit

Don’t wait. Get it checked, and work with someone who understands how to modify exercise safely. Demand to be seen by a Certified Lymphatic Therapist (CLT) - it’s your RIGHT!

Does Lymphedema Risk Ever Go Away?

No. Lymphedema remains a lifelong risk after breast cancer treatment involving lymph node removal or radiation. Breast cancer–related lymphedema can occur both early (within first 3 years) and years later—up to 20 years post-treatment—and remains a chronic concern. Incidence estimates vary widely (41-94%) within roughly 5 years.

Why It Doesn’t Fully Resolve

Surgery and radiation impair lymphatic drainage permanently. Once nodes are removed or damaged, the risk never disappears. Some patients are asymptomatic for years before symptoms show.

Structured, progressive resistance training performed with compression is believed to be safe. When done properly, with a customized exercise program and a slow, gradual progression, it may reduce swelling in both at-risk and affected women. I have seen this time and time again with clients that I have worked with. I have also witnessed trainers “overtraining” their at-risk clients (most trainers are unaware of what lymphedema is because they have not received formal oncology exercise training). Once the lymphatic system is compromised from surgery and/or radiation, we are “starting over” with exercise programming. It doesn’t matter what the client was doing previously. We just don’t know what their lymphatic system can handle now.










1. Start With Mobility—Not IntensityIn the early post-op phase, the goal isn’t to run a marathon (at least not for the m...
01/10/2025

1. Start With Mobility—Not Intensity
In the early post-op phase, the goal isn’t to run a marathon (at least not for the majority of patients)-it’s restoring movement. That means gentle, pain-free range-of-motion exercises, posture resets, and breathwork to restore proper alignment and activate your core safely. There are several challenges to be considered here:

Scar tissue from multiple surgeries and/or radiation

Cording

Performing core exercises without the Re**us Abdominus muscle (TRAM flap)

As an OncoVie™ Cancer Exercise Specialist, we begin by taking goniometric shoulder range of motion measurements, comparing them to norms, and adjusting them to the individual. We will not encourage strength training in a specific plane of motion (think reaching your arm to the front, to the side, behind you) until 90% or better ROM is achieved. If the affected side (the side with surgery or radiation)is restricted, the body will cheat by recruiting other muscles (like the neck or low back) to complete movements. This leads to poor posture, muscle imbalances, and increased injury risk over time. If the affected side is restricted, the body will cheat by recruiting other muscles (like the neck or low back) to complete movements. This leads to poor posture, muscle imbalances, and increased injury risk over time.









✨ After the Surgery, Then What? ✨So many breast cancer survivors are left wondering what’s next after surgery. 💕 Over th...
30/09/2025

✨ After the Surgery, Then What? ✨

So many breast cancer survivors are left wondering what’s next after surgery. 💕 Over the next 5 days, I’ll be sharing the 5 essential steps every survivor should know to move forward safely and confidently.

👉 Each day I’ll break down one key step—from mobility to mindset—that can make all the difference in recovery and long-term wellness.

Here’s what’s coming:
1️⃣ Start With Mobility—Not Intensity
2️⃣ Lymphedema Risk Is Real—and Often Ignored
3️⃣ Posture Matters More Than You Think
4️⃣ The Right Strength Training Changes Everything
5️⃣ Mindset Is Underrated

Follow along daily—you don’t want to miss this series! 💪🌸









The mistake: Focusing only on the surgical site and upper body rehab while neglecting legs, hips, and glutes.Why it matt...
23/09/2025

The mistake: Focusing only on the surgical site and upper body rehab while neglecting legs, hips, and glutes.
Why it matters: Lower body strength is critical for bone density, balance, and injury prevention, but it’s also essential for the functional movements you perform every single day. Weak legs make it harder (and riskier) to do basic activities like:
• Sitting down and standing up from a chair or toilet
• Getting in and out of a car
• Climbing stairs
• Bending down to pick something up from the floor
My recommendation:
• Include foundational moves like squats, lunges, step-ups, and hip bridges in your routine
• Focus on form to protect your joints and spine
• Mimic daily activities in your training so your strength carries over into real life
• Train the whole body for balanced recovery, not just the areas directly affected by surgery

Address

517 Jacqueline Drive
Pretoria
0081

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 18:00
Thursday 08:00 - 18:00
Friday 08:00 - 15:00

Telephone

082 803 7028

Website

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