Patients receiving or recovering from cancer treatment often believe it's best to take it easy, but new research shows that being active is key in returning to full health.
According to a recent report by Macmillan Cancer Support, being advised to rest during treatment is an outdated view, and patients should be aiming to get at least two and a half hours of exercise per week. The UK report estimates that the vast majority of cancer patients are not active enough, and says that moderate exercise can combat common side-effects of treatment, including weight-gain and fatigue.
Exercise can also have a great impact on long-term health for cancer survivors, and previous research has shown that it could reduce the risk of recurrence (up to 40% for breast cancer).
The American Cancer Society concurs with these findings, and for many years have recommended exercise as a vital tool to keeping health on track during grueling cancer treatments, which can go on for months, even years. Moderate activity is what's being recommended - things like walking, gardening and swimming.
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