Physical Fitness and Cancer

When a serious illness strikes, it's important to stay active.  We may not feel like exercising when our health is compromised, but physical activity provides us with many important benefits, not just physically but also mentally.  Hopefully, if you live an active and healthy lifestyle, you will never have to deal with a serious illness, but if you do, it's important to keep moving.  David Haas who works for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance wrote an article on how exercise can provide great benefits to help fight cancer and I wanted to share it.

Physical Fitness and Cancer- Great Benefits To Help Fight Cancer

When a person is diagnosed with cancer, he or she will want to explore every available option of recovery. Surgery, oral medication, radiation treatments, and even holistic methods are often important aspects of cancer treatment, but it's good to remember that physical exercise also plays a crucial role in both recovery and prevention.

Exercise is one of those things that is always going to be a big part of staying healthy in life. Muscle keeps us strong and burns unhealthy fat, and heart rates that are elevated regularly tend to keep the blood pumping for a long time. Doctors have discovered that the average individual needs to make a point of getting a good workout for at least thirty minutes per day, five days a week. The benefits of exercise do not change after a cancer diagnosis. In fact, they become even more important.

While physical exercise might not cure cancer, studies have shown that it can indeed aid in preventing it. In fact, some information on the benefits of exercise can seem downright miraculous. For example, vigorously active individuals are thirty percent less likely to get colon cancer. Exercise also helps to reduce the chances of getting breast, endometrial, and lung cancer.

Physical exercise helps people fight cancer. Sometimes a cancer patient feels bad, both physically and emotionally, and the absolute last thing they want to do is exercise. While this is understandable, it's important to push past that roadblock. Exercise improves the quality of the patient's life, reduces instances of fatigue, and counters any unwanted weight gaining side effects of cancer medications. Physical exercise can be a great asset whether someone is going through chemotherapy or someone is going through a different and more difficult treatment protocol such as mesothelioma treatment.  

 While it can be difficult to exercise when dealing with an illness, the end results of a great workout can't be beat.  The mood is elevated to a natural high, and fear and depression subside. This is important, since fear and depression can be big problems for a cancer patient. Exercising regularly can help reduce the fatigue a patient usually feels after a major bout of treatments at the hospital, allowing them to enjoy the rest of their day instead of spending it depressed in bed.

Physical exercise also helps people who have gotten rid of their cancer. Studies have shown that, in many cases, individuals who get enough physical exercise are less likely to have their cancer return, and are more likely to survive for a longer period of time.

Exercise has been shown to help prevent cancer, combat cancer, and help the patient keep the cancer at bay after recovery. The natural benefits of regular and vigorous physical exercise help keep everyone on planet earth alive, including cancer patients.   


David Haas
Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Guest Blogger