EXERCISE AND CANCER During your cancer therapy, a safe and effective exercise program can help increase your energy and strength, enhance balance and coordination, and help maintain your muscle strength. Physical activity can also improve your overall feelings of well-being and reduce the pain, nausea, and fatigue commonly associated with treatment, while lessening the side effects of many drug treatments. Exercise may even keep some kinds of cancers from re-occurring! The key is to determine what type of exercise is best for you and to follow a program that accommodates your individual needs and concerns. GETTING STARTED • Talk with your oncologist/surgeon about integrating regular exercise into your treatment plan. • Recommended activities include walking, bicycling, swimming and other low-impact exercises, low-intensity strength training, and stretching to enhance mobility. • Start slowly and very gradually progress how hard and how long you workout. In fact, you may find it most comfortable to gradually progress the time of your activity up to about 20 minutes or more before you start to push harder. • Take frequent breaks during activity if needed. Exercise Cautions • There is no optimal exercise program for exercising with cancer—the goal is to preserve and possibly improve function. Be prepared to modify your activity as needed based on your current condition or reactions to changes in treatment. • Treatments such as surgery or other therapies may limit your activity due to muscle weakness or pain. For example, women who have undergone mastectomy or lumpectomy may have limited strength and range of motion in their chest, arms, and shoulders. • If you are receiving radiation therapy, perspiration may irritate your skin due to skin irritation. • Ask your healthcare team to help you learn optimal ways to manage side effects of treatment (e.g. nausea, vomiting, pain) so that you can exercise comfortably. EXERCISE IS MEDICINE
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:20:21 +0000
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