The Benefits of Exercise for Cancer Patients

Guest Blog by Liz Davies 

The Benefits of Exercise for Cancer Patients

Exercise provides many great benefits for cancer patients, just as it does for any other person. Exercise provides people with a way to get in shape, lose weight, and become stronger. Additionally, exercise has been shown to improve moods, increase self-confidence, reduce fatigue, and lower the risk of developing both cardiovascular diseases

as well as diabetes. 

It is very important for cancer patients to not stay sedentary; initiating some form of exercise can improve recovery. This is true for all types of cancers including colon cancer, breast cancer and even rare cancers like papillary mesothelioma. As always it is important to consult a doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. Consulting an exercise specialist is a great way to get some help in creating an exercise program that is specifically tailored to individual needs.

People who are just beginning an exercise routine can start with flexibility exercises, which is basically just stretching. Any type of movement maintains mobility and simply staying flexible is very important if you are not ready for more vigorous exercise. Exercises like tai chi, yoga, and pilates are great forms of flexibility exercises to try.

If someone is up for a little more activity, aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, or swimming may be a good idea. Exercises like these can burn calories and also reduce one’s chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or diabetes. 

Resistance training, like lifting weights, will help you build muscle. Many people who are going through cancer treatments lose muscle and gain fat during the process, so if it is possible to include both aerobic exercise and weight training in an exercise regimen, this is a great way to maintain bodily strength. 

Sometimes it is hard to find the motivation to exercise; this can be said for anyone, but especially cancer patients. Don’t feel the need to become overwhelmed at the thought of having to join the gym or make drastic life changes. Simply start adding more activities into your daily life. For example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or buying a pedometer and monitoring the number of steps you take daily and then making a goal to take more steps the next day. Lifting cans and bottles around the house can even build muscle. Once baby steps like these are taken, the increased energy a person will feel will be motivation enough to proceed with additional activity. There are a myriad of reasons and benefits for why cancer patients should be exercising, and not one reason not to.

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She became particularly interested in ways cancer patients can cope with the side-effects of their treatment after her mother became an oncology nurse for lung cancer.