There are several misconceptions about whether it will be okay for cancer patients to do exercises and if yes, what types of exercises they can do. For cancer patients, daily movement is more challenging as they are undergoing struggles to cope with the side effects of cancer treatment. Fatigue is common to nearly all cancer patients and it makes things more difficult for them to continue exercises or start these afresh. However, there are evidences to suggest that physical inactivity inflicts negative effects on prognosis of cancer survivors and quality of their life.
For cancer patients, following a regular exercise program can lower the risks of common side effects of cancer treatment, including tiredness and emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, anger etc. Moreover, people, who do exercises regularly, even for a brief period of time, report feeling on the top of their cancer challenges and also experiencing fewer physical restrictions in long term. The U.S. Centres of Disease Control and Prevention suggests that all adults, who are undergoing treatment for early-stage cancer or living with an advanced stage of the disease, can benefit from doing moderate exercises for 150 minutes/week.
A recent study claims that even doing exercises for 10 minutes every day can improve the length of one’s life. However, cancer patients should always speak with their oncologists regarding the type of exercises and how long they should do these when undergoing cancer treatment in Kolkata.
Do it at your home
The best way to get started is to do exercises at home! You don’t need to visit a gym. Doing exercises at home is a very convenient way to stay active during your cancer treatment. Here are some advices on getting started.
- First, you should work on your posture and core because these are the basics of all physical exercises. Sit up straight. Pull your shoulder blades. Make sure they are positioned on an even level.
- Change your posture to a ‘standing’ position. If needed, you should use your arms for support. Once you change your posture to a vertical position, get back to your sitting posture. Switch between two postures. It is the most basic exercise to build lower-body strength and build muscle tissues.
A full-body workout will provide more benefits. If you are to resume exercises after a long time or starting afresh, repeat each of the following steps. Take rests for 1-5 minutes between each round. Set a goal of completing the workout within 1 hour. Here is a complete breakdown of two easiest and effective exercises for cancer patients.
Sit to Stand: It is also called squat. Sit at the edge of a firm chair and press through your heels while keeping your eyes forward. After you stand straight, squeeze tush muscles, pause for a minute; get your lower back down while not losing your control to the chair. Repeat the process.
Split Lunge: Position yourself near a firm chair back. Take your feet back. Keep your shoulder width apart. Start lowering your back down while making sure that your weight is evenly distributed along the centre of your body. Keep your chest up. Lower your body as long as you have full control over it. Lift your body slowly back up. Take your feet back to its original position. Repeat the process.