As people start a cancer treatment plan it is important to be ready to face the cancer. A treatment plan goes past the treatment, whether it is chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, and taking medicine. Exercise is an excellent supplement that aids in working with the treatment. Running and riding bikes are activities many cancer patients find enjoyable. Stretching and strength training are also very useful.
These exercises are extremely important because they offer weight management. There is a large amount of data which shows that being overweight is correlated to a higher cancer risk and a higher risk for reoccurrence. Being obese or overweight also decreases the chance of survival from the disease. This statistic is true for all types of cancer that have been studied, ranging from bladder cancer to mesothelioma. The idea that obesity is linked to cancer is a topic that is newly studied and the link is not clear yet but there is certainly a correlation between the two.
Another benefit found from exercise is the increase in heart health. Cardio exercises expand blood vessels and increase blood flow. This helps move oxygen and blood around the body better and allows the body to work more efficiently. Having the body work at it’s full potential is important when it needs to be able to fight foreign cancer cells.
Cancer treatments often cause severe exhaustion and this treatment can be almost as hard on the body as the cancer itself. While these side effects often lead to a lack of motivation it is important to see exercise as a necessary step in the right direction. The chemicals released when exercising create a positive reaction in the brain and give cancer patients more energy and motivation than they would have normally felt.
It is easy to sit back and make a decision not to be active when you have such a serious disease as cancer. However, standing up to the disease and pushing against it shows the cancer that it is the patient who is in control, not the disease.
Author Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz also likes running, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April.
