Exercise for Cancer Patients by Virgil Anderson

Welcome to the blog and this post is a special one. We have a guest blog by Virgil Anderson who has some insight on how exercise can be helpful for people who are battling various forms of cancer. Thank you to Virgil for offering this article to my blog and I hope everyone can learn from the information offered.



Should Cancer Patients Be Exercising?

Being sick means you need rest, right? Yes, rest is important, but researchers are finding more evidence all the time that everyone, including people fighting a difficult cancer like mesothelioma, can benefit from physical activity. A cancer patient may not be training to run a marathon, but guided workouts with limitations in mind can provide a whole range of benefits.

Exercise Boosts Energy and Beats Fatigue
One very important reason to include exercise as a component of overall wellness is to battle fatigue. Cancer patients are vulnerable to severe fatigue that makes it challenging even to get out of bed in the morning. While exercise may be the last thing on a patient’s mind, getting in some physical activity can help reduce this fatigue and provide a surge of energy. In fact, in some studies, cancer patients exercising regularly experienced up to 50 percent less fatigue than patients not exercising.
Cancer Patients who Exercise Have Longer Life Expectancies
As with healthy people who work out regularly and are physically fit, cancer patients can benefit from exercise by increasing their lifespans. One study found that breast cancer patients who worked out for at least two and a half hours per week were at a 67 percent lower risk of dying than similar patients who did not exercise. Other studies have found similar results and found that exercise also helps reduce the risk of a recurrence of cancer after remission.

Physical Activity Boost Mood
Cancer patients are understandably susceptible to depression, anxiety, stress, and other negative emotions, which can become overwhelming and difficult to live with. Exercise has long been known to have a positive effect on mood, reducing feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress, and helping people to feel more relaxed. Cancer patients can use exercise to help mitigate these negative feelings and as a healthful way to cope with them.
Exercise Helps Maintain Fitness and Weight
Regular physical activity keeps bodies strong and helps people maintain good cardiovascular fitness, while also helping people stick with a healthy weight. For cancer patients all of these are especially important. Being sick with cancer can cause fitness and muscles to deteriorate. Some patients may even gain weight. Regular exercise can help reduce the loss of fitness or build more strength, which in turn helps patients recover better. Maintaining a healthy weight has health benefits, but also helps cancer patients feel better about their bodies.
Exercise is not something to be taken lightly for someone living with cancer. If you have cancer, talk to your doctor before trying an exercise routine. You need to know what your limitations are. Once you do get started with fitness, consider working with a trainer who can help you meet your goals, safely.

Getting in physical activity is now recommended for most cancer patients as a way to improve overall health, to increase mobility, to boost mood, to fight fatigue, and to generally feel better about living with this illness. Fitness is important for everyone, but thanks to research we now know just how crucial it is for those of us living with cancer.
- Virgil Anderson

Guest Post - Healthy Trails to You

Today we have a nice guest post from Mike Manning from mikemanningmusings.blogspot.com. 

He has health tips for people who travel. Enjoy.

Healthy Trails To You

Traveling can be fun and exciting, and it's often tempting to throw all of your cares out the window for the duration of your trip. However, if you decide to skip the healthy habits you've worked so hard to establish, you're not doing yourself any favors. If you're able to get around the minor inconveniences and disruptions in routine presented by travel, you should make every effort to maintain physical activity. Here are some ways to facilitate that.

Pick a Healthy Hotel

You can make things a lot easier on yourself by being choosy about your accommodations. A lot of hotels available today cater extensively to the health and fitness crowd. Most hotels now boast fully-stocked gyms, indoor jogging tracks or even fitness classes. Make sure to do some research before booking a hotel. On a recent trip to San Francisco I used a travel site/app called Gogobot in order to get a list of hotels in the San Francisco area that I could scroll through and see what amenities were offered. There is sure to be something for everyone. Before you book your reservations, find out about their menu as well. While many serve a free breakfast, not all of them have healthy options. If the hotel offers a reasonably healthy menu on top of their exercise facilities, you can save a lot of time and effort.

Portable Workout

If there are no ideal health-friendly hotels in your location or price range, then consider bringing your own gear along. Some basic, portable items like resistance bands, yoga mats and small dumbbells enable you to work out at any place and time that's convenient. They're also great for when you just don't feel like leaving the hotel room. Items from around the room, such as chairs and tables, can also be useful.

En Route

If you're driving to your destination, you'll likely feel the need to get out and stretch occasionally. If you see any roadside rest stops, these can be a perfect fitness opportunity. Many of them possess hiking trails that run through appealing woodland areas. Besides getting some much-needed exercise, you'll also be able to enjoy the fresh air and beauty of nature.

Take Advantage of the Airport

With more airports recognizing the health needs of their customers, some have made impressive additions. San Francisco International's Zen room and Minneapolis International's walking paths provide those waiting for their flight with a healthful way to spend their time and pent-up energy. To get the most out of your workout, consider hauling your luggage with you.

Pack Some Good Shoes

To many people, the best piece of fitness equipment to have is a pair of dependable running or walking shoes. Even if there are no fitness facilities in your hotel and no hiking paths nearby, you can always use the sidewalk or a bike path. A twenty minute walk or a ten minute jog keeps your body and mind in good working order, plus it keeps the extra weight at bay.

Thank you Mike for the information.

How do you stay healthy when traveling?