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Staying active

Physical activity gives your immune system a boost.

Wherever you are in your treatment and recovery, physical activity — from exercising at the gym to light resistance training in your own bed — offers countless health benefits.

A strengthened body can tolerate conventional therapy better and heal faster. And staying active can help you feel calmer and more confident throughout the process. Once cancer treatment is behind you, a physical or occupational therapy program can ease your transition back into everyday life.

One size doesn’t fit all

Depending on your condition, you may work with different specialists on different aspects of your physical rehabilitation:

Physical therapy can include a range of activities, from aerobic exercise such as walking or swimming to strength training with resistance bands. Physical therapists can help you improve flexibility and coordination, rebuild strength, and alleviate pain.

Occupational therapy helps restore your independence. Occupational therapists work with you to identify everyday activities, like walking children to school or driving, that give you trouble and work on strategies to adapt to them.

Speech pathology helps you regain and improve speech and communication skills if they’ve been affected by cancer. A speech pathologist can also help you with any difficulties you may have with eating or swallowing.

Manual therapies, such as massage therapy, can reduce pain and anxiety and instill a sense of well-being. They can also alleviate certain side effects, including lymphedema, or swelling, after breast cancer treatment.

Enhancing your treatment

More and more healthcare providers are recognizing the benefits of physical activity for people with cancer:

  1. An immune system strengthened by exercise may respond better to conventional therapies.
  2. Exercise may reduce pain and nausea, while increasing endurance and improving mood.
  3. Exercise promotes the production of red blood cells.
  4. Staying active can help you maintain your mobility, so you can stay as independent as possible during and after treatment.

But you don’t have to run a triathlon to enjoy the benefits of exercise. Even modest activity, such as going for a gentle walk or stretching in bed, has health benefits.

Be sure to check with your oncologist before starting a new exercise routine. If your treatments limit what you’re able to do, a physical therapist can recommend exercises that are appropriate for you.

Get with the program

The three components of a comprehensive fitness program — cardiovascular training, strengthening, and stretching — can be adapted to a wide range of circumstances and fitness levels. A customized program can support you through all phases of your treatment and recovery.

  1. Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise is anything that raises your heart rate, such as walking, cycling, and climbing stairs. It increases stamina and may protect your heart and lungs from some of the toxic effects of chemotherapy.

  2. Strength training builds muscle strength and tone. Resistance bands — lengths of stretchy rubber band — come in a variety of resistance levels to meet your individual needs, and you can use them almost anywhere. Strengthening can help protect against the loss of muscle mass during treatment and may combat chemotherapy-related osteoporosis, or bone loss.

  3. Stretching improves flexibility, reduces soreness, and can help prevent injury. It improves blood and oxygen flow to the brain, which may help combat some of the neurological effects of conventional therapy, such as fatigue or forgetfulness.

Staying active is not only good for your body — it’s good for your mind as well. That’s because exercise releases endorphins, brain chemicals that act as natural painkillers and mood enhancers. Physical activity can also improve your confidence and self-esteem. Best of all, research shows that even modest changes in your activity level can significantly improve your quality of life.

Get back on your feet

Sometimes cancer can create new physical limitations that make it difficult to get back to your normal life. An occupational therapist can help you address Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), like getting dressed or bathing, that may be more difficult than before.

Your therapist will help you to:

  1. Identify your daily activities and figure out which are most important to you.
  2. Evaluate your ability to perform each activity, and your satisfaction with your performance ability.
  3. Develop new tools to help you adapt these activities to your physical abilities.

One of the most important parts of the program is setting concrete goals. Whether it’s learning to stand again or training for a marathon, focusing on one activity at a time will make the road to recovery a little easier.