Exercise for Cancer Patients: Longer Life, Less
Recurrence
There's abundant evidence that exercise and eating right can help prevent
people from getting cancer. The latest information shows that exercise for
cancer patients can also keep cancer from recurring.
Several recent studies suggest that higher levels of physical activity are
associated with a reduced risk of the cancer coming back, and a longer survival
after a cancer diagnosis.
In studies of several different cancers, being overweight after completing
treatment was associated with shorter survival times and higher risk of cancer
recurrence.
Women who exercise after completing breast cancer treatment live longer and have
less recurrence, according to recent evidence. Colorectal cancer survivors who exercised lived
longer than those who didn't, two recent clinical trials showed.
What experts suspected has now been proven. As a cancer survivor,
exercising could help you live a longer life -- free from cancer.
Exercise for Cancer Patients: What's In It For Me?
The benefits of exercise for the general population are well-publicized.
But what if you're a cancer patient?
Exercise has many of the same benefits for cancer survivors as it does for
other adults.. Some of these benefits include an increased level of fitness,
greater muscle strength, leaner body mass, and less weight gain.
In other words, exercise for cancer patients can make you fitter, stronger,
and thinner -- like anyone else who exercises.
Exercise can also:
·
Improve mood.
·
Boost
self-confidence.
·
Reduce
fatigue.
·
Lower your
risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
When should you start
exercising after cancer diagnosis and treatment? As soon as possible!
Studies show that
after a cancer diagnosis, people slow down. Stress, depression, and feeling
sick or fatigued from cancer or its treatment all tend to make people less
active.
The problem is, most
people stay sedentary after treatment
As a long-term
solution to the problem of fatigue, taking it easy and avoiding activity is not
a good solution. It is important for cancer survivors to get back to exercising
to help their recovery.
In other words: if
you've down-shifted your activity level since your cancer diagnosis, now is the
time to rev back up.
The following types of exercise can help cancer patients - and everyone
else - get back in shape:
·
Flexibility
exercises (stretching). Virtually everyone can do flexibility exercises. Stretching
is important to keep moving, to maintain mobility. If you're not yet ready for
more vigorous exercise, you should at least stay flexible.
·
Aerobic
exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, and swimming. This kind of exercise
burns calories and helps you lose weight. Aerobic exercise also builds
cardiovascular fitness, which lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, and
diabetes.
·
Resistance
training (Iifting weights or isometric exercise), which builds muscle. Many people
lose muscle, but gain fat, through cancer treatment. For those with a high
fat-to-lean mass ratio, resistance training can be especially helpful.
"Ideally, cancer survivors should do aerobic exercises and weight
training," says Courneya. "Both types of exercise are critical to the
overall health and well-being of cancer survivors."
Exercise
for Cancer Patients: How Much and How Hard?
For the general
population, the American Cancer Society recommends "at least 30 to 60
minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity at least 5 days a week."
This amount of
exercise is proven to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and
diabetes. Experts say it that it should also be beneficial for cancer patients
