It’s the middle of October, the heart of Pinktober, named as such because it’s breast cancer awareness month worldwide.  For some it signifies a time to remember struggles overcome or loved ones lost. For others, the pink ribbon is a stark reminder of a present battle, leading them to be skeptical of its use for for-profit gains.  How has the most successful cancer awareness movement become so polarizing?

Awareness isn’t wrong. It just isn’t enough.  If the ultimate goal is to have fewer people dying from breast cancer, we have to bring women along a journey.  At Pink Ribbon Pilates, we empower women to live healthier, happier, longer lives by engaging in personal fitness, as an important part of being as healthy as you can be.  More and more research is showing that exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence) if you’ve been diagnosed, as well as reducing the risk of developing breast cancer if you’ve never been diagnosed.

Knowledge is power, and we can only improve health outcomes if we motivate and take action – to stay active throughout the year, because in turn it will lead to better quality of life.