I recently completed a fantastic course about advanced prescription and programming for patients going through and post-treatment for cancer. So I thought I would share the importance of exercise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle through all stages and answer a few common questions regarding exercising with cancer.
Now I know a lot of people don’t like to talk about this subject, but unfortunately, one in 2 Australians will receive a cancer diagnosis by the age of 85. Although treatment has advanced and survival rates are increasing the major issue is the side effects caused by the treatment.
The main side effects of treatment include:
Decreased bone mass and strength
A decline in physical function and Quality of life
Decreased muscle mass and strength
Decreased sleep sometimes in hours and sometimes in quality
Increased risk of other cancers
Increased anxiety, stress and depression
Exercise has been scientifically shown to help all of these side effects, although the jury is still out on bone mass and strength. There are many physical advantages to exercising even during treatment, but the mental side plays a huge part. I have been touched to be able to work with and trusted by some amazing people through their treatment, and many have personally told me it’s the mental side that really gets you. Exercise and group classes become an outlet, a safe place where you begin to regain your physical function and in the process, retain your sanity as a few have mentioned. With all these benefits it takes us to my first point.
Why are we told not to exercise?
Unfortunately, a few people out there still believe that nothing should be done during or post-treatment for a significant amount of time. Thankfully this is a small minority and most oncologists and doctors now prescribe exercise along with treatment to help manage the symptoms. There are special cases when exercise is not a good idea at that particular time, for example when you’re in treatment and your immune system is almost at 0. It’s not a great idea to be going to the gym during flu season, but these can always be worked around which brings me to my next point.
Why is it important to see an Exercise Physiologist?
We specialize in exercise prescription for many conditions and issues. When you are in treatment, or even post-treatment, your body is changing or has changed, you are weaker, not as fit and depending on treatment will have a few other issues. We can alter programs to suit your individual needs, no one is the same or responds the same in treatment. Some exercises might be too hard or too easy or you might be having issues with blood pressure as a side effect of treatment. All these things need to be accounted for, and that’s what we do - Provide a safe, individualized program to optimize your recovery.
I used to be able to do everything and now I can’t, what exercise do I do?
I have had patients that have been former triathletes that are going through treatment and will try to overdo it because they want to get back to where they were. You need to let your body recover and stick by these simple guidelines, both during and post-treatment. Cancer guidelines are very similar to our normal programming guidelines. We are aiming for 150 minutes of low-moderate intensity exercise with 2-3 days of resistance training. This is guideline/goal, so even if we start off with small increments that we can handle, is better than doing nothing. Unfortunately, 62% of people with cancer are not meeting guidelines or become sedentary. Given that 75-90% of people over 45 do not perform any strengthening exercise it is easy to understand why cancer patients are also not meeting recommendations.
I am tired, bloated, and swelling and you want me to exercise?
Getting the average population to exercise is difficult, trying to get someone who has been through radiation and chemo with all the side effects, can be very challenging and sometimes near impossible. But, and there’s always a big but, exercising helps with these side effects and can help reduce many of them significantly. The right program will always account for weeks when you are doing chemotherapy and reduce the intensity of the program. This is one thing I always stress to my patients, there will always be a week or a few when you are totally and 110% exhausted, and that's okay. Issues relating to cancer treatment such as lack of time, tiredness and cost contribute to 50% of missed exercise sessions. It’s about managing your program as a whole and not beating yourself up if you have to miss a few sessions.
Should I exercise in stage 4?
Yes, but carefully, and again this is where the advice of a professional is very important. We tend to wrap a lot of patients in cotton wool, but we forget that they are still living their normal lives. They are still picking up the kids, grabbing the groceries, running after the dog and kicking the ball down the park. So it's just as important for people in advanced stages to still be completing a structured exercise program for both the physical and emotional advantages.
Where to now?
If you or anyone you know could benefit or is interested in learning more about exercising with cancer, and/or after treatment, feel free to send through any questions or get in contact with us today. Or for further information regarding some amazing research and information in the article check out the ECU website.
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