Exercise helps prevent cancer and even helps if you get it....

Exercise helps prevent cancer and even helps if you get it....


Guest Post by David Haas, Wednesday, 5-9-2012

Exercise gives people something useful to do instead of just worrying.  It reduces stress and increases stress tolerance.  And, it helps stressed people stay healthy.  There is even evidence it prevents cancer both for people who don't have it and those trying to not get it back.

This is well known in preventive medicine now.  So when David Haas contacted me and asked to do a guest blog post on how exercise even has other powerful benefits for people who have cancer I asked him to send me a post.

Here's his article as today's bonus post:  It has important information I didn't know and a link to more.:

Important Benefits of Exercise Before, During and After Cancer Treatment

by David Haas 

It’s common knowledge that exercise and fitness provide many positive benefits. Being fit gives people more energy, a more positive outlook on life, and most importantly, can help prevent many kinds of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and even some kinds of cancer. But what role does fitness play for those who already have cancer? There is growing evidence that exercise and fitness provide the same benefits to cancer patients as they do to healthy individuals or those with other disease.

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating. Many cancer patients feel overwhelmed by the mountain of information they receive from their doctors. Next they feel the stress of having to make decisions about treatment options. The last thing cancer patients are thinking about is setting up a workout schedule or physical fitness plan. Cancer treatments can often be draining or exhausting and patients may feel it takes all the energy they have just to get out of bed. Recent studies are showing though, that having a regular exercise plan can greatly aid cancer patients in coping with and overcoming their cancer.

There are several reasons why physical fitness can help. The first is that some cancer treatments actually cause bone and muscle loss. The June 29, 2010 NCI Cancer Bulletin for the National Cancer Institute, discusses how regular exercise can help reverse these effects.  

(http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/062910/page5  )

Just as with healthy individuals, larger muscle mass provides greater bone strength and support for cancer patients.

Another area where fitness is a benefit to cancer patients is with improved body image. As mentioned in the article above, some cancers can cause weight loss and others can cause weight gain. Having a regular exercise program can help patients maintain a healthy body weight which aids overall health.

A third area of fitness benefit for cancer patients is in improved quality of life and an increase feeling of well being. As stated earlier, a cancer diagnosis can be devastating. Physical exercise releases hormones that can decrease pain sensation and increase feelings a pleasure and happiness. Even just going for a walk in the sunlight can have a dramatic effect on a cancer patient’s sense of wellbeing. It can also help cancer patients overcome depression symptoms that often accompany cancer treatments.

Oncologists and other doctors treating cancer patients often only have enough time to focus on the cancer treatment itself and not on other lifestyle actions of their patients. Cancer patients should be proactive in discussing the benefits of a physical fitness program with their doctors and then taking necessary steps to put together a reasonable program. Patients should always clear any exercise plan with their doctor.

Whether cancer patients have just been diagnosed, are in the midst of cancer treatment or are cancer survivors, they should try to incorporate a fitness plan into their daily routine. No matter the type of cancer from breast cancer to treatment for mesothelioma cancer, the benefits of a physical fitness program are well worth it.