Exercise and Cancer

Hi all,

I received a request to share this interesting information about how exercise and fitness can help in overcoming the side effects of various cancer treatments and I am happy to share this with you all.

" Get Up and Get Moving

The American Cancer Society has researched the benefits of exercise as it applies to cancer and the results are amazing. Before a person even receives a diagnosis of a cancer, he can exercise to prevent cancer. The American Cancer Society states that a mere 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise can significantly reduce a person’s chances of cancer over the course of his lifetime. In addition, those that already have cancer and are going through various forms of cancer treatment, including some rare ones, can also significantly reduce the intensity of treatment side effects, improve overall health, improve their mood and improve their quality of life.

The benefits of exercise are for everyone; not just those with cancer. However, in recent years, doctors have taken to recommending cancer patients and survivors to get up and get active as much as possible. In the past, doctors told their cancer patients and survivors to rest up as much as possible. Exercise’s biggest benefit is that it can improve a person’s immune system. This occurs because the immune system is the part of the body that works to fight disease, illness and sickness. It is common knowledge that those who exercise regularly are sick less often and that is because the hormones produced through exercise strengthen a person’s immune system.

Cancer is a stressful situation, and stress produces hormones that suppress the immune system; exercise can diminish the bad hormones and multiply the good ones to improve a person’s health. Additionally, exercise is good for every part of the body, both inside and out. A person will increase health and look and feel better when they exercise regularly.

What is perhaps the most important aspect of overcoming cancer and living, as a cancer survivor, is quality of life. A person with a good quality of life has a better chance of overcoming cancer and living cancer free than one that does not have a good quality of life. This is achieved through exercise. Because exercise is a feel good activity in every possible sense, a person that exercises is going to have a better quality of life. Exercise promotes a better mood, which promotes happiness, which promotes confidence, which inspires a better quality of life.

Look better, feel better and live better; that is what exercise makes everyone feel, whether or not that person is undergoing cancer treatments or is a survivor of cancer. Exercise is vital to quality of life and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is nothing. That is just over 21 minutes per day of walking, swimming, running, cardio or even yoga. Get up and get moving; it is going to benefit everyone, cancer patient and survivors alike."

- by Mr. David Haas, An advocate of cancer patients and an avid researcher on cancer and fitness.