Does exercise prevent cancer? Exercise helps to regulate weight, improves the immune system, and it can improve the quality of life during Cancer Treatment. 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.
Benefits of Exercise
Exercise has many benefits for your well-being, both physical and emotional.
- Strengthen muscles and bones and boost circulation
- Help you to maintain a healthy weight
- Help to increase your energy levels
- Help to improve your strength
- Help you to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression
- Reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and different types of cancer.
Recent research suggests that the majority of people benefit from exercise both during and after Cancer Treatment. Exercise 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.
Exercise throughout the Cancer Treatment
Research has consistently demonstrated that exercise improves physical and psychosocial function – regular exercise helps to cope with the side effects of Treatment. Exercise improves tumor sensitivity that may occur during Chemotherapy. Aerobic exercise can be effective in the prevention and treatment of doxorubicin and trastuzumab cardiotoxic symptoms, as well as in the development of cardiorespiratory fitnesses.
The benefit of upper extremity exercise in the management of Breast Cancer lymphedema has been documented, and the myth of limiting the use of the affected extremity has been dispelled. Sixty percent of Breast Cancer patients gain weight during adjuvant chemotherapy, which raises the recurrence risk. Exercise will eliminate the risk factor.
Some studies have shown a 50% increase in the survival of people with breast and Colon Cancer because of regular exercise. People engaging in moderately intense physical activity reported a 60 percent reduction in death risk from all types of cancer. Three hours a week of vigorous activity (jogging, walking, swimming, tennis, and weight training) contributed to a 70% reduction in the risk of high-grade, advanced, or fatal Prostate Cancer.
Some data suggest that the frequency, type, and intensity of exercise needed by a cancer patient depends on the type of cancer. Clinical experience reveals that gradual advancement of activity over an infinite period can bring extraordinary benefit. Exercise used as a regular therapeutic tool can bring about physical and mental outcomes in cancer management that can significantly exceed those achieved with traditional medical treatment.
Why is Incorporating Exercise Treatment Important
Whether patients are cured, in remission, or relapse, the psychological and physical toxicity or cancer treatments can last for years. Exercise can provide relief from different types of cancers, including breast cancer, myeloma, lymphoma, sarcoma, and non-small cell lung cancer, etc. Week-to-month exercise programs show the long-term benefits to the individuals.
The effect of exercise on cancer is several folds depending on the type of cancer and the associated exercise effects. For instance, regular exercise can help control hormone levels in the body, which is especially beneficial for hormone-induced cancers like estrogen-positive Breast Cancer. Aside from this, exercising helps keep obesity and fat levels in check, which is a risk factor for many types of cancer.
While much research is needed to understand exactly why exercise affects different types of cancer in different ways, and to come up with the ‘best’ exercise, it is safe to say that regular physical activity and exercising can help lower cancer risk and treatment side-effects.
Types of Exercises
- Aerobic exercise
- Raises your heart rate
- Makes you breathe faster
- Pumps your muscles and tissues with blood and oxygen
- Light exercise
- Slow walking
- Smooth swimming
- Light housework (dusting, light sweeping)
- Light gardening
- Moderate exercise
- Fast walks
- Swimming
- Playing sports such as basketball or tennis
- Yoga
- Ballroom dancing
- Intense Exercise
- Walking, jogging, racing
- Fast biking
- Hiking
- Playing professional sports such as football or basketball
- Stair climbing
Important Exercising Tips to Consider
For most people, exercising before, during, and after Cancer Treatment is healthy. Consider these few tips:
- 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 workout. 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 and when it’s safe to return to your exercise routines before the Surgery.
- 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 treatment, exercise may play a role as a complementary therapy for patients.
