A group of Mandurah men are meeting twice a week to workout and ward off the mental and physical side effects in their fight against prostate cancer.
Meeting at Rushton Park’s Peel Thunder gymnasium on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9.30am, the group is called PROST! (German word for cheers) and exercises under a professional evidence-based program with the mantra Muscle, Mate-ship and Mood.
4 Life exercise physiologist Rachel Halleen guides the group through cycling, rowing, weights and particularly concentrates on pelvic floor exercises to assist their post-operative incontinence.
“These exercises are proving to be so important for men facing, experiencing or recovering from prostate cancer surgery or radiology and hormone therapy,” she said.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia states prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country and the second most common cause of death from cancer in Australian men, with nearly 72 men being diagnosed every day.
“This is a big message for men and their wives or partners,” Ms Halleen said.
Mandurah is the latest PROST! gymnasium group adding to others in Fremantle, Joondalup, Leederville and the University of Western Australia.
The mateship and mood components of the group come from the hour-long coffee and cake session following the exercise where the men discuss all aspects of their diagnosis and develop long-term friendships.
PROST! support group leader Bill van Didden said the group not only helped his fitness level improve but also helped him mentally deal with the issues prostate cancer brings.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie among members because we’re all in the same boat,” he said.
“It’s an unfortunate commonality among us but it brings great bonding and gives us strength.”
