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World Cancer Day is celebrated on the 4th of every February as a reminder to raise awareness among people about cancer; how to deal with it or prevent it in the first place. World-renowned oncologists and other experts emphasize the role of exercise in cancer care. Regulated periods of exercise for cancer patients during and after treatment is recommended highly by oncologists. Exercise is becoming an increasingly important part of standard cancer care.
A lot of research is done on cancer and most of it points to the benefits of exercise. Some studies have proved that exercise helps with fatigue, as opposed to medication, caused due to cancer treatment(s). Moreover, exercise is associated with a higher survival rate among advanced cancer patients, including colorectal cancer. Exercising continually in the long-term and maintaining a healthy lifestyle after cancer reduces other diseases. Some doctors even suggest high-intensity exercise to their patients.
FITPASS invites you on his world cancer awareness day to exercise as and when you can to stay fit and defeat cancer or nip in the bud. Workout at 3,500+ fitness centers across 15+ cities in India with FITPASS to defeat the biggest diseases of the modern world.
How Exercise Works
We are emphasizing exercising on this world cancer day because it reduces inflammation, regulates blood sugar, and sex hormones in addition to improving your metabolism and immune function. The impact of these mechanisms depends on the type of cancer. For example, the impact of exercise on sex hormones is important for breast cancer patients.
Regular exercise is associated with a lower risk of developing cancers due to obesity as well. The good news is that there is no particular workout routine or exercise that will keep you fit against cancer, just staying active is good enough.
Workout Intensity
Adults are advised to include 02:30 hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 01:15 hours (75 minutes) of high-intensity cardio in their routine every week. Also, you should also include 2 days of full-body strength training in your weekly training routine.
you can either workout for 22 minutes every day of the week or break it down to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise throughout 5 days. You can also workout for 45-minutes and 30-minute sessions, twice each. Moderate-intensity exercise is characterized by what leaves your breathing heavily but you can still converse in short sentences.
The best way to divide 75 minutes throughout a week is 15 minutes per day for 5 days throughout the week. You can bring it down to 3 days a week by exercising 25 minutes each day as well but the former is much better. Vigorous exercise is anything that lets you answer during but only in a word or two.
An essential part of physical fitness; strength training or resistance training is a form of activity to strengthen and build your muscles. You can choose from equipment like resistance bands, free weights, machines, or even body-weight, which can be accessed at fitness centers or you can buy at stores near you. You can also consider yoga classes for dealing with joint pain and flexibility issues.
Choosing the Workout Routine
You must include a mix of different workout routines in your regime for it to be beneficial for your entire body.
walking and running are the greatest aerobic activities and you should definitely go to the park for sometime when you get the time. Start with daily activities like laundry, cooking, and cleaning activities before you move on to rigorous activities. Do not go for aerobic exercise if daily activities tire you out
The most important type of exercise there is for cancer treatment. It is difficult but it isn’t performed as much as it should be. Simple movements like getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, carrying stuff, etc. all require the use of muscles. Strength training exercises improve body functions by reducing fatigue, which makes these tasks easier. Moreover, strength training exercises build bone density
Do 5-10 sit-to-stands from a chair a few times every day for a start. Get hand weights and do up to 10 arm curls and shoulder presses.
A strong core allows ease of movement. The core includes all the muscles in and around the middle of your body – below the ribs to the bend of your hip. The simplest of movements like rolling over in bed requires core strength
Sit with your chest straight and shoulders pulled back in a hard-backed chair. Tighten your abdominal muscles and hold the position for up to 2-3 minutes. Do not hold your breath. This posture should be maintained while walking and driving as well
There’s nothing quite like it; it has something for everyone. Attending yoga classes can help with the fatigue as well as improve bodily functions. Just doing the Surya namaskar once daily can significantly improve your health
