Fitness: The Anti-Cancer Secret? written by Melanie Bowen
Over the recent decades, the link between physical fitness and cancer has become abundantly clear. Two main points have become modern thought; those who are physically fit are less likely to develop cancer, and fit people often endure the rigors of cancer treatment more easily than those who are in poor shape. However, the strength
of this connection is still unknown, and doctors are not sure how best to
express the strength of this link. It also differs for different types of
cancer; the benefits between fitness and breast cancer treatment is far
different than the connection between fitness and mesothelioma treatment. Here
are a few facts about cancer and how fitness can help prevent, fight and
recover from it.
Fitness as a means of preventing cancer the connection between fitness and cancer is unambiguous, and doctors are beginning to advise those
concerned about developing cancer to begin regular exercise schedules. While
many assume that fitness is primarily a preventative measure because it fights
obesity, many studies have shown that the connection goes deeper. In needs to be mentioned, however, that the prophylactic effect that fitness has against cancer is relatively small; people should not expect that exercise guarantees that cancer will not form, unfortunately plenty of healthy people develop cancer.
Fitness as a means of preparing for cancer treatments another way that fitness
can help people deal with cancer is by preparing them for chemotherapy
treatments. Chemotherapy is incredibly difficult to deal with, and most people
find their energy levels dropping significantly throughout the course of treatment.
By staying in shape, people can give themselves a bit of a boost when the going
gets rough. Exercise has also been linked to better mental health, which can help
people fend off the depression and anxiety that often occurs during
chemotherapy treatments. In addition, many experts believe that people who are
in great shape will recover faster from chemotherapy treatments.
Fitness as a means of recovering from cancer recovering from cancer
generally involves recovering from chemotherapy, and people often take a
considerable amount of time before they feel back to normal. By slowly starting
to exercise, people may be able to accelerate the process of recovery and start
feeling better. In addition, exercise may be able to reduce the likelihood of
cancer occurring again. Because of this, doctors recommend that patients begin
the process of exercising soon after they leave the hospital, but it should be
noted that the early days of exercise will likely be minimal as recovery takes
time.
When I walked into the store, even getting someone to assist me took 10 minutes. After wandering through the couture section and into “the galleria” I finally found where I was supposed to be. I was assisted into the fitting room where a seamstress would be with my shortly. For only the second time I slipped into my wedding gown, which I should inform you no one has seen me in the dress, and stood admiring myself in the mirror. Soon after there was a knock on the door and in walked the seamstress. As she walked around me, analyzing, the first words out of her mouth were “you have a very large round behind”. I agreed and said unfortunately that wasn’t going away especially before August. She began to touch my thighs asking what the lumps and bumps were. I assume she was “admiring” my quadriceps that I have worked so hard in the gym developing. Little did I know muscles are not acceptable when wearing a gown….we must “minimize and compress you”. Within minutes the sales associate knocked on the door with various versions of Spanx and other compression materials. I agreed to try one on that didn’t seem as if it would suffocate me for our August wedding. Once I put the dress back on I was told how much better it was now that my “lumps and bumps” were smoothed out, minimized, and compressed.
