The FORCE Program: The Proven Way to Fight Cancer Through Physical Activity and Exercise - Hardcover

Berman, Jeff; Fleegler, Fran; Hanc, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345440889 ISBN 13: 9780345440884

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2001

Synopsis

In your hands right now is the FORCE to fight back against cancer. FORCE (an acronym for Focus on Rehabilitation and Cancer Education) is a new, comprehensive lifestyle approach to cancer treatment. Clinically proven, endorsed by growing numbers of doctors at leading cancer centers, designed for easy at-home use, the FORCE program works in tandem with traditional cancer treatments to boost your overall health, make you stronger and fitter, and put you back in control of your life.

FORCE was created from the experience of cancer survivor and author Jeff Berman who decided to put his own physical fitness conditioning to work in fighting the disease. From this simple but revolutionary concept evolved the complete program of exercise, diet, and stress management known as FORCE. Over the past five years, Berman has turned FORCE into the nation’s most successful and most accessible cancer treatment program, with referrals coming from world-renowned hospitals. Now, in collaboration with oncologist Dr. Fran Fleegler, M.D., and veteran fitness writer John Hanc, Berman has brought the FORCE program home . . . to the home of any cancer patient battling the disease.

Thanks to the FORCE program, hundreds of cancer patients in the New York area have already experienced dramatic improvements in every aspect of their lives, both physical and emotional. Now it’s your turn. This book takes you step by step through a special exercise and activity program tailored to the needs and abilities of all patients, from those who are bedridden to those who are trained athletes. You’ll learn how to redesign your diet quickly and economically to maximize your body’s ability to fight the cancer, with tips on shopping, food preparation, and dealing with restaurants. Here, too, is a complete guide to stress management that will teach you how to change your physical and emotional response to pain, tension, and upsetting situations. You don’t need a gym, a clinic, or any special equipment for the FORCE program–just a willingness to try the movements and information contained in the book.

Your body can fight cancer if you give it a fighting chance with exercise. That’s what The FORCE Program is all about. Upbeat, informative, full of easy-to-use advice and inspirational success stories, The FORCE Program is exactly what you need to start feeling better today.

About this title

Review

Exercise and lifestyle play important roles in preventing cancer, so it's only logical that they benefit cancer treatment as well. The FORCE Program (FORCE is an acronym for "Focus on Rehabilitation and Cancer Education") shows cancer survivors the best ways to exercise, eat right, and reduce stress to assist healing. "The FORCE program is a plan for living and dealing optimistically and actively with cancer," write the authors (Jeff Berman, cancer survivor, marathon runner, and founder of the FORCE program; oncologist Fran Fleegler; and fitness writer John Hanc), who give a motivating pep talk to get you ready for "lift off," then help you plan for a change. The exercise program is simple and structured: walking plus seven illustrated strength and flexibility exercises for four to six weeks, with more added as you progress. The nutrition program emphasizes foods that have been found to have cancer-fighting properties. The authors also describe several stress-management exercises. If you're already a committed exerciser, you're likely to find this program too elementary, but if you're a cancer survivor who needs encouragement and a plan, this book will get you exercising, eating better, and enjoying your life more. --Joan Price

From the Back Cover

Praise for The FORCE Program

"As a neuro-oncologist and pediatric oncologist who is also a twenty-five year survivor of recurrent, disseminated testicular cancer, I recognize from my own personal as well as professional experience the valuable role of programs like FORCE as an integral part of the therapeutic process. This book should be essential reading for health care providers as well as for patients."
--JONATHAN D. FINLAY, M.D.
Director, Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children's Cancer Center
NYU Medical Center

"Growing clinical evidence supports the value of exercise to promote overall health and fight depression. The FORCE program, incorporating physical activity and strength-building, has made a real difference for many cancer survivors. Mr. Berman's commitment and energy have served as an inspiration and example to hundreds of patients who often feel defeated and helpless after a diagnosis of cancer. FORCE lets them take an active role in their recovery, and truly 'move on' to a better way of life."
--KARRIE ZAMPINI, M.S.W., C.S.W.
Director, Post Treatment Resource Program
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

"The FORCE program provides a practical step-by-step approach to improved nutrition and fitness that will optimize health. The authors should be congratulated on an eminently readable book that will empower patients to fight disease recurrence and live full and healthy lives."
--JOANN MANSON, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Chief of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Author of The 30-Minute Fitness Solution

"If you or a loved one has cancer and you want 'to do more' in managing it, you can turn to this highly readable book by three people ideally qualified to produce it: a superb writer on health and fitness, a top oncologist who uses exercise in helping her own patients manage their disease, and a man who both has lived with cancer and has created the FORCE program, one that truly works!"
--STEVEN JONAS, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.
Professor of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University

"The FORCE program exemplifies the how-to-do-it for cancer patients who want to eliminate the bad stress in their lives, utilize positive coping strategies, and lead healthier lifestyles by using good nutrition and suitable physical activity. The authors have done an excellent job of taking the content of the group sessions into the home of every cancer patient."
--KATHRYN M. KASH, Ph.D.
Beth Israel Medical Center, New York

Edition details

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0345440889
• ISBN 13: 9780345440884
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208