The Issue
You might find that after being diagnosed with cancer your relationship to exercise and moving your body is all of a sudden complicated. Different survivors experience different things - for some, treatment itself changes their energy levels and abilities. For others, the effects of different treatments such as surgery impacts their range of motion or strength. Others experience side effects like nerve pain which makes working out a challenge.
Some survivors can’t relate to any of the above, but are just simply curious about how to incorporate evidence-based exercise strategies into their lifestyle after a diagnosis of cancer.
Regardless of where you find yourself, our philosophy at OncoveryCare is that exercise should be viewed as one of many tools to support overall wellness during and after treatment. Our approach emphasizes what we know from science - exercise is just one of many behaviors (along with things like nutrition, mental health, sleep, and stress reduction) that work together to contribute to our health.
We realize that exercise is one of those things that is easier said than done, and that there is no “one size fits all” approach. To build a starting point, we did what we always do at OncoveryCare - we looked at the science, we talked to the experts, and we asked our community of survivors for their take. This is meant to serve as a starting point of how you may be able to use exercise and movement to meet whatever goals you have for yourself in your own survivorship.
So: what do we know?
As clinicians and cancer survivors, we know engaging in regular exercise is important for several reasons that we will get into below.
- Physical Health and Strength: It goes without saying that exercise plays a crucial role in improving and maintaining physical health and wellbeing. It can help support heart health, improve muscular strength and flexibility, keep bones strong and help prevent bone loss, and enhance overall physical function.
- Symptom Management: Regular physical activity can also help reduce the severity of treatment-related side effects. While the impact of exercise is not equally helpful for each of the items listed below, we can help provide guidance and connect you with appropriate resources in your community to find the right exercise program for you.
- Neuropathy
- Lymphedema
- Cancer related fatigue
- Hot flashes
- Sleep
- Mental health and Stress Reduction: Physical health can have incredible impacts on mental health - exercise has been shown time and time again to have a positive impact on mental and emotional well-being. Physical activity can also stimulate the release of endorphins, or "feel-good" hormones that contribute positively to mood.
- Weight Management: Maintaining a healthy weight is important for all of us regardless of a history of cancer. But it's HARD, and we know that. Exercise is one of many different parts of lifestyle that can help us with weight management- but it’s not the only one. Most survivors find they need a balanced approach to sustainable weight including movement, food and nutrition, as well as sleep and rest.
- Future Cancer Risk: Research suggests that there can be a protective link between regular physical activity and cancer risk for certain types of cancer.
- Long-term Health Benefits: Engaging in regular exercise as a cancer survivor contributes to long-term health benefits beyond cancer-related outcomes. It can help reduce the risk of other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
What the research says?
Here’s the advice on exercise from the American Cancer Society (ACS):
“Exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, body composition, fatigue, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, happiness, and several quality of life factors in cancer survivors. A healthy lifestyle might also decrease the risk of some cancers coming back, or getting an additional new cancer. A growing number of studies have looked at the impact of physical activity on cancer recurrence and long-term survival (particularly for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers)”
You might be asking yourself, OK - how much exercise are we talking? The ACS guidelines are below and on the next page we’ve clarified a few definitions to make it easier to figure out the types of exercise being described.
The recommendation:
The American Cancer Society recommends survivors aim for the following movement goals:
- Build up to 150-300 minutes of moderate (or 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity) activity each week
- Exercise several times a week for at least 10 minutes at a time
- Include resistance training exercise at least 2 days per week
- Do stretching exercises at least 2 days each week
What the community says:
Last but not least we talked to our community of survivors, and heard their approach, as well as a few strategies they’ve found helpful:
- Doing classes with a neighborhood gym was so important to get back into the routine. Having some accountability, as well as a supportive teacher who encouraged modifications helped a lot!
- A trainer was a must for me! To build confidence and trust in what my body can do again.
- Do something you enjoy. After a mastectomy I was sure I wouldn't have the mobility or strength to back to horseback riding, but I am riding 2x a week with small strength movements from my PT to build up muscle and strength all at the same time.
- Give yourself grace and work out for fun!
- Focus on small, mindful movement. I’m really into pilates because it's all about intention and not all about “weight loss” which is what so much of the fitness industry seems to unfortunately be about!
- I have learned not to punish my body with movement but instead find the things that make me feel good and make me WANT to move my body.
- I think post-cancer treatment, I try to be mindful of the fact that exercise is a gift. Of course, there are days where I can’t find the motivation, but I don’t beat myself up about not exercising like I used to. I move now to move, not to lose weight or bench press a certain amount. I do it for me. To show myself I can.
In summary:
In order to make this a successful experience for you, think about what you find motivating, what resources are available where you live, and what you actually would ENJOY when it comes to exercise. At OncoveryCare we can help connect you with resources in your community and our peer guides can share their insights.
Resources on Exercise for Cancer Survivors:
- Moving Through Cancer Exercise videos and handouts
- My Victory Program (12 months free with purchase of moving through cancer book)
- 2Unstoppable fitness program for survivors
If you prefer to find a program near you yourself, go to the Moving Through Cancer exercise program registry at the Exercise Is Medicine website. There are over 1700 programs loaded onto the registry. Many of them are free! Survivor Fitness also has a free virtual 1:1 program - check it out when you get a chance!
