Here is a post, written by a friend David Haas regarding exercise and its benefits to cancer treatments. There's lots of great information here - so enjoy everyone!! Exercise ALWAYS has its benefits, and this just reinforces how healing it truly can be!
Exercise Can Help During Cancer Treatment
In the past, doctors and health care personnel encouraged cancer patients to rest and take it easy following a cancer diagnosis or during treatment. But it's now known that exercise is very beneficial to cancer patients, whether newly diagnosed or going through mesothelioma treatment or treatment for another type of cancer. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you use a variety of fitness to provide you with useful benefits throughout your treatment program for cancer. The following considerations can assist you in choosing the activities that are best for you.
Increase the Things You Need More Of
Many people with cancer find themselves running short on energy during a time in which they really need it. Exercise might be one of the last things you think of when you're feeling tired, but it can actually be one of the best tools for fighting fatigue. When you're feeling tired or depleted of energy, start off by taking a walk. Speed and intensity aren't important; just move your body. If you begin to feel revitalized, pick up your pace or walk a little farther.
Decrease the Undesirables
Stress, nausea and joint stiffness are common symptoms and side effects experienced during cancer treatment. Use appropriate types of exercise to help you ease them. Yoga, Pilates, swimming and Tai Chi are more gentle forms of exercise that are beneficial to your body and your mind. Even 10 minutes per day can help you reduce stress, gain greater range of motion and find relief from nausea.
Gauge Your Feelings
Exercise according to how you're feeling each day. Some days you might have the energy to exercise for a longer period of time at a more intense level. Other days, it can be a chore just to lift your feet. Gauge the type of fitness you participate in to how you're feeling so you can make improvements, instead of adding more stress.
Variety is the Spice of Life
Prevent exercise boredom by trying different types of exercise on different days. Alternate aerobic exercise with resistance exercise each day to help you build muscle strength and cardiovascular health. A well-rounded physical fitness plan is most effective for building your health and addressing your individual needs.
Just as there's not one cancer treatment that works perfectly for everyone, there's no cookie cutter exercise program that works best for all. The most effective fitness program to use during treatment is the one that addresses your individual needs. Use the way you feel physically and emotionally as your guide to dictate the amount and type of exercise you incorporate into your daily routine. In doing this, exercise becomes a powerful tool in your toolbox to help you look and feel the best you possibly can. Fitness during cancer has the potential to make you feel empowered and it helps to place control over how you feel back into your hands. Use exercise in a way that works best for you so you can create a greater focus on wellness and well-being.
Sources:
www.acsm.org
http://www.mesothelioma.com/treatment/
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