Table 1.
Themes, sub-themes, and representative quotes.
| Main Themes | Sub-Themes | Representative Quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Experiences and perceptions of online physical exercise with breast cancer | Beliefs and expectations about physical exercise | “Sport has provided me with a level of support that I could never have imagined. When they asked me, “do you want to be a part of this exercise group?”, I did not hesitate. I needed it emotionally and physically. I felt somehow saved, and when I started, it was fantastic” G1-P3 |
| “I knew I wanted to keep doing sports because I know it gives me both emotional and physical stability. Having to leave my paddle team in order to lock myself away at home and do nothing that motivated me has made joining this group a life-changing experience” G4-P1 | ||
| A group-based exercise programme to focus on health not illness | “I would not have done it on my own if I hadn’t been in a group. This has been highly helpful to me; without it, I believe I would have collapsed somehow” G3-P5 | |
| “Today, the best way for me is to do it as a group. Because looking at the one who does better stimulates me and helps me strive to achieve higher goals, because you feel accompanied and enriched by the others” G2-P3 | ||
| Incorporating exercise-based activity for cancer-related side effects | Benefits and drawbacks of structured and supervised training | “With the pain and fatigue, you think you can’t do it because you are too weak. However, you make the extra effort with this training and it gives you the energy to keep going and not lie in bed all day” G3-P4 |
| “There has been a complete before and after. I believe this training has helped me in avoiding the “I can’t” circle. It has given me the confidence to say, “yes, I can, I can do this, and I will get it back” G4-P2 | ||
| Continuity to improve physical and psychological well-being | “I now do exercise every day, and the days I don’t, I miss it. I didn’t go out much before, and I still don’t go out much now, but I feel a lot better. I don’t think about anything negative, and I rarely consider cancer. I am thrilled and grateful” G1-P5 | |
| “When I prepare my weekly schedule, I include things like “this time to walk to the mountain, this time for the exercises...”I now include it in my plans, which I never used to do before” G3-P3 | ||
| Increasing self-esteem and empowerment | Physical exercise to address self-compassion | “Being able to virtually interact with a group with whom you can share experiences, the impact of seeing yourself hairless... I believe that seeing that we are all going through this together, exercising together, always helps psychologically. It supports you in assimilating of the entire situation you are experiencing” G2-P4 |
| “I felt identified, as though I wasn’t the only one who felt the same way. The group encourages, supports, accompanies, motivates, lifts you up, and drives you to achieve and challenge yourself to fulfil the goals” G4-P3 | ||
| Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic | “This time we all had to exercise together made you forget about the COVID-19 situation, of not being able to see friends or family. You think about other things, like how strong you feel, or how you are attempting an exercise that you couldn’t do it before, and now you could lift my arm higher” G1-P3 | |
| “I used to walk from the balcony to the dining room, then from the dining room to the bedroom... I was heartbroken by the fact that I couldn’t go out in public because of the pandemic. I can tell you that this group exercise time has been a gamechanger for me” G2-P1 |