Exercise during cancer treatment

Living but exercising with cancer

Below is a blog written by Melanie Bowen, a master’s student with an exercise passion that stems from her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis.

She often highlights the great benefits of alternative nutritional, emotional and physical treatments on those diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness.  To read more please visit Melanie’s blog for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance.

The best exercises for someone recovering from cancer

Dealing with cancer is a major life-changing event for anyone but this does not mean that your life has to stop and is at a standstill. Exercise has proven to be incredibly beneficial to individuals who have cancer, are in remission or even those who are simply at risk of developing cancer themselves.

While exercise will not cure cancer and you still need to follow orders from your doctor as it can improve the quality of your life and give you increased energy levels too.

Performing light exercises

Light exercise is beneficial to individuals who cannot do more strenuous exercises. Light exercise can help you to feel better and have increased energy throughout the day. Many cancer patients have even found that these types of exercises help to lift their mood and feel more stabilised and in control. Deep breathing techniques are a great example of a light exercise.

Breathing techniques are an ideal exercise for those who are battling a prognosis of pleural mesothelioma or other lung-related cancers. Patients can sit still in a quiet room and breathe deeply, fully inhaling and exhaling and focusing on their breath, so that your mind and body relaxes. Just the act of relaxing the body and mind can be incredibly beneficial to you and your health.

Performing moderate intensity exercises

Moderate exercise includes yoga and this particular type of workout can be beneficial to just about any cancer patient who is undergoing treatment or is in remission. When you do yoga, you are improving your overall flexibility and you can even decrease body aches and pains that are a result of cancer treatment.

Many people who do yoga regularly have also found that it quickly lifts their mood so that they feel better and less depressed throughout the day. Research has also shown that doing yoga regularly can lower stress hormones that can disrupt the balance of your health and wellbeing of your life.

Performing exercises vigorously

Intense and more advanced exercises are ideal for individuals who are looking to strengthen bones, muscles and internal organs. An example of an advanced exercise would be aerobics or anything that really gets your heart pumping and your skin sweating.

This type of exercise is very enjoyable and can be incredibly engaging for just about every muscle group of the body. People who choose this type of exercise tend to feel more energised throughout the day, which is a definite plus if you are a cancer patient undergoing treatment for the condition.

Advanced exercise is definitely not for everyone so you need to ask a doctor before you simply go out for a run. Your health is so important and there are so many things that you can do to ensure that you have more energy and live a happy life. While you should always follow your doctor’s orders concerning your health and cancer treatment please discuss your exercise options with them.

You will be surprised to know that many cancer patients have had great success with exercise because of all the benefits that it can offer to individuals who are either in great health or even poor health. Even if you do light exercises throughout the day like stretching or deep breathing, you are still doing something for your overall well-being that is going to help you to feel better and get through the day just a little more easily.