Fitness for women after a mastectomy

Jennifer Garner’s personal trainer helps women ease back into exercise after a mastectomy

There’s little question celebrity trainer Beth Nicely is an authority on fitness. The former Radio City Rockette has been a professional dancer for 18 years, appearing in half a dozen Broadway shows. 

For the past twelve years, the New York City resident has shifted her focus to personal training, earning accreditation as a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified personal trainer, certified prenatal and postnatal specialist, and a corrective exercise specialist. 

In addition to training such stars as Jennifer Garner, Nicole Kidman, and Sutton Foster, she also founded The Limit, a studio and online platform which offers dance, HIIT (high intensity interval training), and toning workouts all led by Broadway performers, professional dancers, and former Rockettes certified through nationally accredited organizations. (Tony Award-winner and rockstar crocheter Sutton Foster even teaches classes!) 

The Limit encourages participants to be the strongest and healthiest versions of themselves. 

Exercise is important for women who have undergone aggressive medical procedures

Nicely knows how important exercise is, especially for women who are eager to get back to working out after undergoing aggressive medical procedures. In working with clients who have had mastectomies, she noticed a void in the offerings available to them, so Nicely created The 12 Week Post-Mastectomy Breast Cancer Series to address their unique needs. The best part is, it’s completely free!

“The program is a guided recovery plan to safely help people get back to working out and activities of daily life after having gone through a mastectomy,” Nicely told The Honest Talk. 

Nicely developed the program with the help of physical therapist Dr. Dani Luna, who specializes in breast cancer patients. For Nicely, it was critical to ensure people who underwent a mastectomy, breast reconstructive surgery, or lymphadenectomy (lymph node removal) had a guided plan in place when they were ready to resume daily activities.

The series features Nicely and four breast cancer survivors who have gone through mastectomies. They join her in demonstrating the workouts and provide details about their own breast cancer journeys. 

The program offers a steady progression of workouts to ease you back into movement, all of which have been approved by Nicely and Dr. Luna. One of the videos even includes Rockette and breast cancer survivor, Erin Monteleone, who speaks about her own experiences as a young woman managing exercise post-mastectomy and reconstruction.

In the video she mentions how she wishes she’d had the benefit of the program Nicely has assembled during her journey: “Staying strong to the best of your ability and with your doctor’s approval, of course, is key to being able to step out on the other side of it and live your life.”  

Each of the videos gradually cover aspects of recovery, introducing exercises that address, for example, range of motion, non-impact cardio, and shoulder mobility. As Monteleone mentions, be sure to consult your doctor before engaging in any post-surgery exercise program. 

A passion for making lives better

Nicely loves exercise and anyone watching her programs and workouts will be excited to participate. Her superstar smile and infectious energy inspires her clients and students to keep going while having fun in the process. A new mom who recently worked as head choreographer on the Netflix movie Family Switch starring Jennifer Garner, Nicely is just getting started.  

“I’ve always been interested in training and became a trainer knowing I wanted to share my knowledge and experience with as many people as I can to better their lives, physically and mentally,” she said. 

And with her exceptional and inclusive post-mastectomy series she is able to do just that. 

by Sarah DiMuro

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