erin bloodworth exercise oncologist | fitness assessment | individualized exercise program | lymphedema | neuropathy

DESCRIPTION

Are you or a loved one navigating cancer treatment or survivorship? Discover how exercise oncology—a powerful, evidence-based approach—can significantly improve your quality of life during and after cancer treatment. In this inspiring and educational video, meet Erin Bloodworth, a dedicated clinical exercise physiologist who transitioned into the specialized field of exercise oncology to make a deeper impact on patients' lives. Through her work with Northwestern Medicine Living Well, Erin customizes individualized exercise programs to support patients at every stage of their cancer journey. Whether you're currently undergoing treatment, recently completed it, or are dealing with long-term side effects like neuropathy or lymphedema, Erin’s approach to fitness focuses on your specific needs and goals.

What You'll Learn in This Video:

What is exercise oncology and why it's vital in cancer care How targeted fitness assessments (like grip strength and sit-to-stand tests) help guide safe, effective exercise plans

How to exercise safely with conditions like neuropathy and lymphedema

The role of physical activity in boosting mental, emotional, and physical well-being during and after treatment

How to access expert cancer exercise support from anywhere via the Living Well website

Meet Erin Bloodworth

Erin began her professional career as a clinical exercise physiologist but discovered her true calling in exercise oncology. Now working through Northwestern Medicine Living Well, she uses her knowledge and compassion to help cancer patients reclaim strength, function, and confidence. Her approach is tailored, empathetic, and grounded in clinical research. Each patient Erin sees undergoes a personalized fitness assessment, focusing on practical indicators like grip strength and mobility. From there, she creates a plan that considers the whole person—not just their diagnosis. Whether a patient is struggling with fatigue, muscle weakness, balance issues, or pain from neuropathy or lymphedema, Erin’s mission is to support recovery through safe, adaptive movement.

Why Exercise Matters in Cancer Recovery

Research continues to show the benefits of exercise for cancer patients and survivors.

Regular movement can: Increase energy and reduce fatigue Improve immune function and physical strength

Support emotional resilience and reduce anxiety

Combat treatment-related side effects

Help manage or prevent lymphedema Improve neuropathic symptoms and nerve health

Reduce risk of cancer recurrence in some cases

With Erin’s guidance and the resources available through Living Well, patients are empowered to take control of their health at their own pace, in a supportive and understanding environment.

Access Resources from Anywhere

Erin Bloodworth’s expertise isn't limited to in-person visits. Thanks to the comprehensive resources available through Northwestern Medicine Living Well, patients from all over can benefit from her insights and tailored exercise guidance, no matter where they are in their cancer journey.

Explore More: Northwestern Medicine Living Well https://www.livingwellcrc.org

Key Topics & Tags: #ExerciseOncology #Lymphedema #GripStrength #Neuropathy #FitnessAssessment #IndividualizedExerciseProgram #CancerRecovery #CancerSupport #ErinBloodworth #NorthwesternMedicineLivingWell #CancerSurvivorship #OncologyFitness #LivingWell #ClinicalExercisePhysiologist

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TRANSCRIPT

Bruce Morton: Greetings.  We appreciate your joining us.  This is the @CancerInterviews podcast and I am your host, Bruce Morton.  The bulk of our interviews are with people who have survived their cancer diagnosis.  However, on this episode our guest works with those who have been diagnosed, through the power of exercise.  She is Erin Bloodworth of Geneva, Illinois.  Hers is a message with relevance for anyone on a cancer journey, and now is the time to hear it.  So, Erin, welcome to Cancer Interviews.

Erin Bloodworth: Thank you so much, Bruce.

BM: We want to start out by learning a bit about you, exclusive of your involvement with cancer.  If you would, tell us about where you are from, what you have done for work and what you do for fun.

EB: I grew up in Bedminster, New Jersey.  I attended the University of Illinois.  I was a kinesiology major in Champaign-Urbana.  I moved back to New Jersey, got married and started a family.  We moved back to the Midwest, and we have been in the Midwest since 2012.  We have two children, and I have to say my hobbies include exercise

BM: Erin, there was a point in which what you did had nothing to do with helping those diagnosed with cancer, and then here you are.  Tell us how you got from Point A to Point B.

EB: By training, I am a clinical exercise physiologist.  I have worked with patients anywhere from cardiac rehab patients to orthopedic patients for say, a knee, hip or foot replacement.  While that was interesting and I loved the patient connections, I really wanted to narrow my focus of expertise.  I saw an opportunity in oncology, where exercise could benefit most patients and not have any side effects.  We don’t have many contraindications to exercise and began using exercise as a therapeutic tool.

BM: By the way, we hope you will like and subscribe, and if you click on the bell icon, you will be notified whenever we post an interview.  We also want to remind you that on Cancer Interviews, we are not distributors of medical advice.  If you seek medical advice, please contact a licensed health care professional.

Now, Erin, I have to ask you, another guest of ours who is a strong advocate of exercise for cancer patients says the best exercise for a patient is whatever puts “fire in their belly.”  Would you agree, or do you stick to a specific regimen?

EB: I 100 percent agree with that really smart person that you had on previous to me because anything that you are actually going to do is the best exercise for you. Don’t choose an exercise that you don’t enjoy doing because you are not going to be able to adhere to that.  You are just not going to be successful.  The importance of a good exercise regimen is something you can be consistent with.

BM: Does a regimen need to be strenuous in order to pay off?

EB: I think we confuse physical activity and exercise.  Physical activity is what you normally do on an everyday basis.  You park your car to walk into a building.  That falls under the heading of physical activity.  Planned, deliberate work is called exercise, and that planned, deliberate work varies from person to person.  It might be a ten-minute walk.  It might be a 30-minute walk.  It is different for everyone based on (a) where they’re starting and (b) where they are in their treatment.  If a patient is currently in treatment, their regimen is going to look very different than a patient who is three years post-treatment.

BM: If I am hearing you correctly, because you said there is no such thing as exercise being contra-indicated, it sounds like there is no downside to exercise for a cancer patient.  If you would, give us an example of how exercise has paid off for a patient.

EB: In May of 2024, we started the individualized exercise program here at Northwestern Medicine Living Well.  This program gives patients the opportunity to engage in an individualized exercise program that I design specific to them.  So, in order for me to design that exercise program for them, I need some information.  We start with a fitness assessment.  I test the patient through a battery of fitness assessments to determine a starting point.  From there I can build an exercise program that is customized for them.  I ask for the patient to work on my program with my supervision for three months.  Then, at the end of that three-month intervention, I do a re-test of all the exercises included at the beginning of the program, so we can see how much that person has changed.  We use patients who are inside of treatment, we use patients who are outside of treatment.  Bruce, every patient who has completed their three-month intervention has shown improvements in not one but almost all of the exercise tests that we performed.  One is grip strength, which is so important.  When you go to open a jar, there is nothing that is more frustrating than your inability to feed yourself because you cannot open the jar.  That is something physical, but it also is tied to quality of life.  If you can’t physically open something so that you can feed yourself, that is not okay.  So, one of the tests that we perform is grip strength.  It is a good predictor of upper body strength.  We also use a chair-stand test.  How many times can you get from a seated position to a standing position, 17 inches from the ground, in 30 seconds.  We also use what we call the get-up-and-go test.  We start in a seated position, and I time the patient to see how quickly they can get up, walk a certain distance and get back to that seated position.  These tests give us an idea of the quality of life for this patient.  I cannot pick one, but I can tell you that almost every patient that finishes the three-month intervention shows improvement whether they are in treatment or they are post-treatment.  They see an improvement in their grip strength, they see improvement in their lower body endurance, they see improvement in their upper body muscular endurance, and they see an improvement in their overall quality of life.

BM: Erin, I am guessing there is connective tissue between your last answer and the next couple of questions I have for you.  You have mentioned exercise can help a patient in a physical sort of way.  What can exercise do for a patient’s mental health?

EB: So, we know that a patient typically is more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression during treatment and following treatment.  It leaves patients with a lot of debilitating symptoms, post-treatment.  Oftentimes, exercise can help some of those debilitating symptoms that they are left with, lymphedema, neuropathy, to name a few.

So, by being able to help the patient to maybe alleviate some of the pain or discomfort they are facing from these symptoms, that helps their overall mental health.  There are also studies that indicate exercise absolutely can be used to symptoms of depression and symptoms of anxiety as well.

BM: What you are saying sounds like it has a connection to my next question, which is, how can exercise help a patient from an emotional level?

EB: When you lose certain aspects of your life, certain sources of enjoyment because of your diagnosis, it’s hard to stay positive.  It is hard to stay emotionally connected, to stay engaged in life.  If we can help patients try to get back to some of the normal daily activities or the enjoyable activities they were able to do before their diagnosis, we see that they are just happier and enjoy a higher quality of life because they can do the things they find enjoyment in, things like playing with their grandchildren.  We might take these things for granted, but if they are not able to do these things, it does affect their overall emotional health.  That said, exercise can absolutely help their emotional health.

BM: Erin, this next question may catch some people by surprise, but while exercise can help one’s physical, mental and emotional health, are there instances in which it can aid a patient’s sexual function?

EB: That’s a great question.  So, let’s talk a little bit about sex hormones.  The largest amount of our oncology patients are usually those diagnosed with prostate cancer and breast cancer.  With those diagnoses, we tend to find that patients have to have their hormones suppressed as a part of treatment.  It happens with gynecological patients as well.  There may be a radical pull of hormones when the surgeon goes in and takes out the prostate or removes the ovaries and the uterus.  That’s a radical removal of their sex hormones.  That said, if we can work with the patient and we can increase their lean muscle mass, which helps support their skeletal system, they will feel better about themselves.  They will be able to move better.  We can help them increase their vigor or their endurance, and that will help as well.  We don’t have a good amount of evidence that truly suggests exercise will help their overall sexual function, but we know it will increase their overall quality of life, which we know has an effect on sexual function. So, there isn’t a strong correlation just yet, but we know that if a personal is overall physically fit and active, that will be a plus for one’s sexual function.

BM: We’re about to wrap up, but I want viewers and listeners to learn more about where you work and that is Northwestern Medicine Living Well.  If you will, tell us what it has done and what it can do for others.

EB: Northwestern Medicine Living Well can provide patients and their families with resources that are above and beyond what we typically see in treatment. Things like exercise, nutrition, and counseling.  We have counselors that are here for mental health.  We have support groups.  We have education, so our physicians can come in and give talks on diagnoses, maybe specific to a type of treatment.  We provide a community for patients to come in and they can see other patients just like them doing things to help themselves to recover from their diagnosis.  That’s our goal.  We just want to help patients, regardless of where they are being treated.

BM: It sounds like a lot of these services are available to folks in Chicagoland, but you have a website, and through it, people can avail themselves of these services from anywhere, yes?

EB: You’re absolutely right, Bruce.  Our website is https://www.livingwellcrc.org.  This website has our program guide.  We work in program guides because we change our offerings three times a year.  So, if you go to our website, you can access our program guide.  You can see our programs that we have to offer.  We try to offer most of our programs hybrid.  That means that we are offering them both in-person and virtually at the same time.  For example, if I am teaching a standing balance practice, I am teaching both to people in person and anyone who virtually wants to take advantage of the program. So, the way to access exercise from anywhere, specific to oncology, is to get it on the website, https://www.livingwellcrc.org, and you can sign up for any of our programs virtually using that website.

BM: She is Erin Bloodworth of Geneva, Illinois, an exercise oncology specialist and she has shared tons of information that can be gained not only by people in Chicagoland, but from anywhere via the Northwestern Medicine Living Well website, which is https://www.livingwellcrc.org.  You have shared so much with us, Erin, thanks for being with us on Cancer Interviews.

EB: Bruce, thank you so much for doing this.  I know you have been doing this for a long time, but I always get a little emotional because this is such a passion of mine.  I love that can share this, so thank you.

BM: And we want to remind you as we always do when we conclude that if you or a loved one are on a cancer journey, you are not alone.  There are people out there like Erin Bloodworth and organizations like Northwestern Medicine Living Well that can ease your cancer journey.  So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.

Additional Resources:

Support Group:

Northwestern Medicine Living Well  https://www.livingwellcrc.org

SHOW NOTES

TITLE: Erin Bloodworth, Exercise Oncologist – Geneva, Illinois, USA

A clinical exercise physiologist by trade, Erin Bloodworth sought a career change and became an exercise oncologist.  This enabled her to take her expertise and apply it to helping cancer patients, which she does through Northwestern Medicine Living Well.

Erin says whether a patient is going through cancer treatment or is post-treatment, she puts the patient through an individualized exercise program.  She assesses the patient's health with tests tied to their ability to grip objects and go from a sitting position to a standing position and back.  Erin says the combination of exercise with a cancer treatment can aid the patient’s physical, mental and emotional health.  Through Living Well’s website, Erin Bloodworth can share her expertise with anyone in any location.

Additional Resources:

Support Group: Northwestern Medicine Living Well  https://www.livingwellcrc.org

Time Stamps:

03:33 Erin tells cancer patients the exercise they prefer is the best exercise for them.

04:26 Says a patient’s exercise regimen need not be strenuous.

05:41 Provides examples of how exercise can help a cancer patient.

07:02 Describes the tests she uses to assess a patient’s health.

09:05 Explains how exercise can help a patient’s mental health.

10:17 Erin explains how exercise can help a patient’s emotional health.

11:56 Says in some cases, for a cancer patient, exercise can aid sexual function.

KEYWORDS (tags):

exercise oncology

grip strength

lymphedema

fitness assessment

erin bloodworth

neuropathy

individualized exercise program

bruce morton

northwestern medicine living well