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Cancer Fitness

It’s never too late to begin a fitness regime, even after being diagnosed with cancer remaining physically active or improving physical fitness during cancer treatment and recovery increases survival rates.

The physical benefits of keeping fit even when cancer has been diagnosed, is closely entwined with emotional fitness and a good quality of life. Exercise brings improved cardiovascular function, muscle strength, self-esteem and reduces fatigue, anxiety and depression many studies have shown that survival rates improved.

While there is no magic exercise formula for individual cancers, there have been many studies which show benefits of exercise and a healthy body weight for different diseases.

Just six hours each week of moderate paced walking in the months following treatment may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer recurring and of death from colorectal cancer by between 40 to 50 percent.

Similar results have been seen in studies with women and early stage breast cancer.

But one of the major problems oncology patients have with physical activity is fatigue but if patients can manage at least an hour of physical activity three times each week, studies suggest that muscle strength will increased and self esteem and mood were improved

The ongoing Nurses’ Health Study in the US showed when breast cancer patients performed moderate activity, such as the equivalent of (three to five hours of average paced walking or equivalent) survival outcomes were improved at least 26 per cent and up to 40 percent compared to those women who didn’t exercise.