• Blog
  • About
  • Categories
    • Categories
    • Category index
  • Templates
    • Instagram landing
    • Landing page
    • Lead capture
  • Features
    • Customizer
    • Shortcodes
  • Shop
  • Contact
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Fitness 101

For the fitter, prettier you

  • Travel
  • Fitness
    • Running
    • Walking
    • Fitness Equipment
      • Fitness Machines
      • Fitness Shoes
  • Skin Care
    • Facial care
  • Pretty
  • Healthy Living
  • Muscle Building
  • Disclosure

Is Exercise advisable for Cancer Patients?

November 22, 2012 by Ella 9 Comments

 

Today, more than 11 million people living in the US have cancer. The common doctor’s advice for cancer patients has for a long time been, ”Take it easy.” For a long time, doctors assumed that exercise was likely to lead to negative health effects for cancer patients. However, a recent survey conducted by the Macmillan Cancer Support Center has found overwhelming evidence that suggests just the opposite. Researchers carried out the survey, done in a series of 60 studies involving more than 400 health professionals, to look into the effects of exercise on cancer patients. The study shed light on some important benefits of exercise for cancer patients.


For starters, the survey discovered that for cancer patients, exercise is enormously beneficial, and can significantly reduce the risk of death for cancer patients. Breast cancer patients who attained the recommended exercise levels of 150 minutes every week had a 40% lower chance of dying compared to patients who did no exercise at all. Likewise, patients with prostate cancer who regularly exercised had a 30% lower chance of dying compared to patients who did not, while patients with colorectal cancer who exercised cut down their risk of dying by 50%.

aerobics, keep fit

The study recommended that doctors who offer oncology consulting services to cancer patients need to undergo a major ”cultural change” in order for them to change their views about exercise for cancer patients. For such patients, exercise should be an integral part of their care.

Starting Point

Experts strongly recommend that cancer patients should begin exercising immediately after treatment. It is common for cancer patients to slow down after treatment due to depression, stress and general feelings of being unwell associated with cancer treatment. Physical activity comes with many benefits including decreased fatigue, improved aerobic fitness, improved muscle strength, and overall improvement in the patient’s quality of life. However, patients should exercise within their comfort zones and avoid over-straining.

Moderate Activity Recommended

An ACSM panel of 13 persons recently came up recommendations for cancer patients regarding the type of exercise best-suited for them. The panel placed its focus on prostate, breast, colon, hematologic and gynecologic cancers. According to the panel’s recommendations, patients should walk for at least 30 minutes for 5 days a week.

The panel, however, pointed out that these recommendations were not a one-size-fits-all type of prescription. Therefore, each patient should have a personal exercise program that suits his or her condition and fitness. For example, patients with gastrointestinal cancer should avoid rigorous weight training, while patients with weak immune systems should avoid public gyms and patients with neuropathy, a condition that leads to loss of sensation, should opt for training on a stationary bike instead of weight training. Yoga is fine for all cancer patients.

Appropriate Exercises

• Flexibility Exercises: These are essentially stretching exercises. Experts recommend this type of exercise for all cancer patients.

• Aerobic Exercises: This involves activities such as jogging, brisk walking and swimming. Aerobic exercises help to improve cardiovascular fitness and significantly lower the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and diabetes.

• Resistance Training: This involves activities such as weight lifting. Resistance training build muscle mass and is highly recommended for patients with higher-than-average fat-to-lean mass ratios.

Necessary Precautions to Take

The risk of injury for cancer patients while exercising is about the same as that of healthy people. As such, cancer patients should watch out for common exercise-related injuries such as strains, soreness, and sprains. Cancer patients carry a slightly elevated risk of developing heart problems. As such, they should get approval from their oncologists before commencing on their exercise program.

In summary, health experts highly recommend exercise for cancer patients. Therefore, it should become part of their overall treatment program. That said, patients with heart problems, diabetes as well as obese patients should talk to their oncologists before attempting any form of exercise.

 

This guest post is written by Regina Powell.

Submit to redditShare on Tumblr Share

You might also enjoy...

Why Smokers Switch to Ecigarette
Five Ways to Quit Smoking

Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: aerobics, keep fit

Previous Post Clean, Swing, and Snatch – Lifting Kettlebells for Better Fitness
Next Post Selector pins – The parts that provide convenience of adjusting the height and length

Comments

  1. Franc Ramon says

    November 29, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    I think exercise has the effect of strengthening our resistance and immune system and help us combating diseases like cancer.

    Reply
  2. joy says

    December 1, 2012 at 2:25 am

    simple walking as a form of exercise i think can do, however it is still best to ask the doctor before performing other exercises

    Reply
  3. che says

    December 1, 2012 at 10:57 am

    I hope this discovery will be spread worldwide for people with cancer to be informed, get up and exercise.

    Reply
  4. Yaniconquistadora (@YaniMetrado) says

    December 2, 2012 at 6:16 am

    From being sedentary, I truly believe that cancer patients need some form of exercise. Something that will keep their body active so as not to feel too sluggish.

    Reply
  5. marri says

    December 2, 2012 at 6:56 am

    I agree that exercise should be part of the overall treatment but it still depends on the patient’s condition. There are some who can hardly move because of the effect of chemotherapy.

    Reply
  6. Bev says

    December 2, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    I believe that exercise is enormously beneficial for cancer patient however it would be best if the patient will discuss it first with his care provider before doing any form of exercise.

    Reply
  7. Rossel says

    December 3, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    I Think exercise is important for cancer patients to keep their body healthy and to improve their stamina. Being inactive is as much of a health risk as cancer.

    Reply
  8. Hazel says

    December 5, 2012 at 7:49 am

    Ah… the importance of exercise. But 2.5 hours everyday? That sounds strenuous enough.

    Reply
  9. Ness says

    December 16, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    I think exercise is good. For cancer patients, its just a matter of proper regulation and the type of exercise

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WELCOME

WELCOME

Welcome to our fitness blog. We believe that fitness starts from within. So we try to follow the 80-20 rule (80% food, 20% exercise).

We also throw in travel and relaxation, fashion, style, and shopping topics once in a while.

FOLLOW ME

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter



Recent Posts

  • Benidorm, the Perfect Place For Summer Getaway
  • Walk Your Way to Better Health
  • Experiencing Beautiful Whistler Village : 5 Best Ways
  • 5 Best Habits That Help Prevent Dandruff
  • Look Fresh Despite Workplace Stress

Recent Comments

  • Ella on Benidorm, the Perfect Place For Summer Getaway
  • Ji on Benidorm, the Perfect Place For Summer Getaway
  • Ella on Experiencing Beautiful Whistler Village : 5 Best Ways
  • Mary on Experiencing Beautiful Whistler Village : 5 Best Ways
  • tami s on Pulling it Off with the Right Choice of Earrings

CATEGORIES

  • Accessories
  • Arm Candy
  • Awards Nights
  • BAFTA Awards
  • Bags
  • Beads
  • Beauty Secrets
  • Blogging
  • Celebrity Fashion
  • Comic Relief
  • Concerts
  • Coupons
  • Dress Up
  • Dress Up
  • Dresses
  • Dresses
  • Drinks
  • Earrings
  • Facial care
  • Fall Fashion
  • Fashion Ads
  • Fashion Comebacks
  • Fashion Famous
  • Fashion hunting
  • Fashion inspiration
  • Featured
  • Feet Care
  • Fitness
  • Fitness Equipment
  • Fitness Machines
  • Fitness Shoes
  • Food
  • Gadgets
  • George Gina Lucy
  • Gifts
  • Gifts
  • Golden Globes 2013
  • Grammy Awards
  • H&M
  • Hair conditioners
  • Haircare
  • Hairstyling
  • Haute Couture 2012
  • Health Issues
  • Healthy Living
  • Home Remedy
  • Horseback-Riding
  • Injury-related
  • Inspiration
  • Internal Care
  • Intro
  • Jewelry
  • Jumping Rope
  • Labels
  • Make up
  • Meme
  • Met Gala
  • Mineral Water
  • Models
  • Muscle Building
  • Nails
  • Necklace
  • Non-surgical procedures
  • Nutrition
  • Online Shopping
  • Paris Fashion Week
  • Parts
  • Pretty
  • Protein rich foods
  • Reiss UK
  • Royalty
  • Running
  • SAG Awards
  • Saunas
  • Shawls
  • Shopping
  • Shopping Stores
  • Shower Gels
  • Skin Care
  • Skin Care
  • Sleep
  • Stylish Furniture
  • Teeth
  • Thermal Baths
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Walking
  • Wellness
  • Winter Sports
  • Working out

GET UPDATES

Leave me your email to receive new entries, tips, and specially offers only for you! . Don´t miss any update!

LATEST POSTS

Benidorm, the Perfect Place For Summer Getaway

Benidorm, the Perfect Place For Summer Getaway

Walk Your Way to Better Health

Walk Your Way to Better Health

Experiencing Beautiful Whistler Village

Experiencing Beautiful Whistler Village : 5 Best Ways

Habits That Help Prevent Dandruff

5 Best Habits That Help Prevent Dandruff

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

GET UPDATES

Leave me your email to receive new entries, tips, and specially offers only for you! . Don´t miss any update!

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

COPYRIGHT © 2019. Emma Theme by Lovely Confetti · DMCA.com Protection Status