Exercising during Cancer Treatment really helps if you are diagnosed with cancer. Studies show that the best way to take care of cancer patients is by adding some regular exercise to the daily life routine.
Light aerobic exercise, or stationary cycling along with some light weights for strength training, can enhance the overall well being of the cancer patient and can help in spurring faster recovery during Cancer Treatment.
Role of Exercising during Cancer Treatment and as a Cancer Preventive Measure
Exercising during Cancer Treatment helps to regulate weight, improve immune system, and improving the quality of life. Regular exercise also lowers the risk of different types of cancer.
Physical activity is strongly associated with a reduced risk of multiple myeloma, blood cancer, head and neck, rectum, bladder, and lung cancers. With the help of regular physical activity, one can easily be aware of various types of cancer symptoms. Regular exercise can prevent cancer as well as help people undergoing Cancer Treatment according to experts.
How exercising during Cancer Treatment benefits
Researchers have found out that moderate to heavy exercise in patients undergoing Cancer Treatment does not have any adverse effects and can significantly aid in the reduction of Fatigue caused by the changes that the body goes through during Cancer Treatment from chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and Radiotherapy.
Fatigue and breathlessness is the biggest issue that patients face after Cancer Treatment and can be effectively cured by applying proper exercise routines to the patients.
Engaging in regular exercising during Cancer Treatment brings about an increase in muscle strength, flexibility in joints, and conditioning of the body. All of the issues mentioned above are those that could have been hampered due to Surgery or any Cancer Treatment like Chemotherapy.
Exercise also improves cardiovascular performance and also protects the bones. It also plays a vital role in the amount of dopamine released in the body, elevating the mood without the need for drugs giving them relief from the Depression that usually accompanies the cancer symptoms.
As a benefit over all this, exercising during Cancer Treatment controls weight, which is an essential factor due to the changes in body metabolism. Studies also show that the risk of recurrence of cancer symptoms is high and related to weight gain in types of cancer like breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and so on.
Exercising during Cancer Treatment: When is the Right Time?
ZenOnco.io recommends to implement exercising before Cancer Treatment gets underway. It is a method of preventive care especially if you have been inactive before the onset of the cancer symptoms.
We advise you to consult with a physical therapist who works with cancer patients and design an individualized exercise program. Exercising during Cancer Treatment can be prescribed to improve multiple ranges of motion and prevent lymphedema, an arm swelling that affects some Breast Cancer patients.
Types of Exercises for Cancer Patients:
The best way to carry out the exercise program during Cancer Treatment is to split it into multiple components. The main types of the recommended exercise program for cancer patients are as follows
- Aerobic Workout
Any workout that can make your heart pump fast, most common examples are brisk walking, be it either on a treadmill or outdoors, going for a jog, taking a swim, or even bicycling.
- Strength Training
This is a training mainly intended to tone and build the body muscles. This is conventionally and most effectively achieved by lifting weights, working on a machine circuit or, using resistance bands. Having a Cancer Treatment familiar trainer is of utmost importance before you begin this kind of training.
- Stretching
This is a form of exercise that leniently pulls and stretches multiple muscles and tendons in the body to enhance flexibility that is often seen to have degraded amongst cancer patients undergoing Cancer Treatment. It helps loosen up the muscles and ligaments, also aiding in blood circulation, which has immense benefits, including lifted moods and lowered Fatigue rates.
Exercising during Cancer Treatment: Goals and Benefits
The exercising during Cancer Treatment goal should be at least 30 minutes of exercise for five days a week or possibly more. But be cautious: if you do too much, you may be discouraged and be forced to stop exercising altogether.
Meanwhile, if you were a regular at the gym before cancer, you consider lowering the intensity of the workouts for a while.
Benefits of Exercising during Cancer Treatment
Exercising, especially during cancer treatment, has many benefits for your well being; it is both physical and emotional.
Below is a list of few exercising benefits during cancer treatment:
- Strengthens muscles and bones and boost circulation
- Helps you to maintain a healthy weight
- Increases your energy levels
- Helps to improve your strength
- Enables you to deal with stress, Anxiety and depression
- Reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and different types of cancer.
Important Exercising during Cancer Treatment Tips to Consider
Recent research suggests that the majority of people benefit from exercising during cancer treatment, and also after the treatment regimen. Exercising helps to manage Cancer Treatment side effects, accelerate your return to your usual activities, and improve your quality of life.
Experts recommend 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 times a week and strength training 2 to 3 times a week. For most people, exercising before, during, and after Cancer Treatment is healthy.
Consider these few tips for Exercising in Cancer
- If you have metastatic cancer in your bones, discuss it with your doctor before starting an exercise.
- Warm-up a few minutes to get your muscles moving before you work out. Proper warm-up exercises include stretching, walking.
- Most people can return to their regular exercise routines within about 4-8 weeks after Surgery.
- Ask your doctor about exercises to help your body recover.
- Ask your doctor to suggest an adequate exercising routine.
- Consult your doctor for physical therapy exercise if you have undergone cancer Surgery treatment before starting your regular workout regime.
- It is best to reduce the intensity of your regular workout as per your doctor’s instructions during or after Cancer Treatment.
- Breast cancer patients who have undergone the Surgery should do gentle exercises to avoid lymphedema or blood clots.
Psychological distress and tiredness in patients treated with Radiotherapy and with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation following high-dose Chemotherapy have also been shown to be minimized with the help of regular exercise.
Experts say exercise can help prevent cancer by reducing inflammation, keeping weight under control, and boosting the immune system. Some data says that daily physical activity may improve immune function. Therefore, during and after cancer treatment, exercise may play a role as a complementary therapy for cancer patients.
