A group of mandura men meet twice a week to exercise and drive away mental and physical side effects in the fight against prostate cancer.
When we meet at Peel Thunder Gymnacium in Rushton Park at 9:30am on Monday and Wednesday, the group is called Prost! (Cheers German) and exercises under a professional evidence-based program with mantra muscles, mating ships and mood.
4 Life Exercise Physiologist Rachel Halleen guides groups through cycling, rowing and weight, and focuses on exercises in the pelvic floor, particularly to assist in postoperative incontinence.
“These exercises have proven to be extremely important for men facing, experiencing or recovering from prostate cancer surgery, radiology and hormonal therapy,” she said.
The Australian Prostate Cancer Foundation states that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country, the second most common cause of death among Australian men, with nearly 72 men being diagnosed daily.
“This is a huge message for men and their wives and partners,” Halleen said.
Mandra is the latest Prost! The Gymnasium group has been added to others at Fremantle, Joondalup, Leederville, and University of Western Australia.
The group’s mating and mood elements come from an hour-long coffee and cake session after exercise where men discuss all aspects of the diagnosis and develop long-term friendships.
Prost! Support group leader Bill van Dedden said the group not only helped him improve his fitness level, but also helped him mentally deal with the problems posed by prostate cancer.
“We’re all on the same boat, so there’s a lot of camaraderie between our members,” he said.
“It’s an unfortunate commonality between us, but it brings a great bond and empowers us.”
