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Monday, March 18, 2013

Melanie Bowen: How Fitness can Improve Your Cancer Recovery

Today we have a special guest write-up by our friend Melanie Bowen, a regular author for mesothelioma.com. We hope you enjoy what we feel is a very important topic especially for Cancer patients:

Did you know that fitness is an important part of healing cancer? It is, and you should develop a cancer exercise program to help you in the different stages of cancer. Fitness is a proven mood enhancer, and it also strengthens the immune system. When the immune system is strong, it can fight off free radicals in the body and work to naturally aid in the battle with cancer. This is important to patients who want to reduce the amount of radiation or chemotherapy required after surgery. Whether it is a battle with breast cancer or mesotheliomaevery patient should speak with the doctor to develop a fitness regimen. 

How Often Cancer Patients Should Exercise


When you have cancer, you may not be able to exercise like you did when you were healthy. In general, people should receive 30 minutes of exercise daily for five days per week. Cancer patients can exercise this much if they feel up to it, but more often than not, cancer patients will only be able to exercise for lessWorkout routines and lengths will vary by individual, some patients may only have the opportunity to exercise for a short amount of time but anything can prove to be beneficial in the long run.


Exercises Recommended for Cancer


Many cancer patients enjoy going for a walk or participating in yoga. These exercises are low impact and are enough to keep the blood flowing without making patients feel too fatigued. Biking, Pilates, and other types of exercises are also recommended to people with cancer. The important thing is to find an enjoyable routine that does not overexert the body. 
If the patients have other conditions, such as anemia, exercise becomes increasingly more difficult.  People with anemia are far more likely to become fatigued from exercise than those who do not have this condition. Patients with anemia should opt for the mild to moderate exercises to prevent syncope or fainting.


How Physical Fitness Can Improve Cancer Recovery


It seems counterintuitive, but fitness can improve a cancer prognosis. Your body can fight cancer-causing agents faster when the blood is flowing and toxins are being released from the body. Sedentary people have a much more difficult time recovering from cancer. Talk to your doctor today to incorporate exercise and to improve your prognosis.



You can find more of Melanie's writings here

2 comments:

  1. This is a great story of encouragement for everyone. God sustains us through life's good times and bad times. He offers a higher way of living -- not a life without pain, but the strength to endure. Great job!

    Laguna Beach Cancer Recovery

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  2. I love the post, not only cancer, exercising can prevent many other diseases. I always argue instead of depending on medicines or diet one should do exercise and believe me by doing it one will feel the difference in body.

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