Can Exercise Really Help With Cancer?

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by Liz Davies

Being diagnosed with cancer can be one of the worst moments in anyone's life. Thoughts of death are automatic. Once the initial shock is over, then it's on to the arduous battle. For so long people were told to save all of their energy so they provide their body with enough endurance to fight. Now, studies have found that exercise actually aids in the combat of cancer.

Research shows that those who exercise during treatments fare better in beating their cancer. Physicians agree that the patients who are more active seem not only physically stronger but also mentally. Because exercise creates a stronger body, that body is able to withstand treatments better.

This isn't to say that patients should get out and train for a marathon. An American College of Sports Medicine panel set new guidelines for the amount of exercise for cancer patients, as well as survivors. They've found that the same amount as everyone else, about 150 minutes a week, is beneficial. The only difference is the intensity of the workout. Aerobic exercise, stretching and resistance training are all recommended.

Through exercise, patients experience less fatigue. Aerobic exercise helps get the heart pumping. That keeps the red blood cell levels up, reducing the need for medication (when taken can cause even more fatigue.) Working out also helps with maintaining muscle and bone mass. So often, treatments affect this, and exercise helps combat it. Add in the mental benefits of feeling better and having another focus other than the disease, and that caps an already impressive list of reasons showing the helpfulness of exercise for cancer patients.

Though there are plenty of reasons why they should exercise, the hardest part is finding the motivation to actually do it. There's nothing more difficult than finding the motivation after a particularly hard chemo session. This is where a support group comes in handy. Friends and family understand them the best and know how to give that little nudge to get them going. There are also exercise support groups within some hospitals that specialize in training cancer patients and survivors. Most cancers have their own groups, including even rare cancers such as pericardial mesothelioma. Another step may be to set a goal or task to reach. Whether it's to be able to walk in a three day event or just to be able to put a shirt on without pain, the level is never too big or too small.

A cancer diagnosis isn't a death sentence. By undergoing the treatments and practical exercise, a person can come out stronger than when they started, both mentally and physically. The best thing a person can do for themselves is to help their body fight. They will have a more successful battle if they exercise.


Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She became particularly interested in ways cancer patients can cope with the side-effects of their treatment after her mother became an oncology nurse for lung cancer.

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Prevent From All Going Downhill

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Even if your main focus is to "lose weight", a huge part of your focus must also be in preventing injuries, preventing the development of chronic pain, and preventing re-aggravation of past injuries. These problems can prevent you from the simplest physical activities and throw you off-track perpetually. As a result of being thrown off, you could enter a negative spiral of incremental weight gain and various possible chronic conditions. Therefore, being conscious of prevention of injuries, pains, and problems is important for long-lasting weight-loss and fitness.

I had a client in the past, Jane, who was borderline obese in her late 60’s when I first trained her. She had a lower back condition and chronic knee problems. (She was cleared by her doctor to start exercising again, but she still have pains.) Merely walking was painful for her knees and her lower back. Walking up and down the stairs were painful for her. According to her, she used to be in great shape years ago. However, Jane began having injuries from improper training and postural distortions over a long period of time. Because of the pain and injuries, she had to stop exercising which paradoxically further contributed to her pains and physical problems. (There may have been other contributors to her physical problems also. When she decided to exercise again, she hired personal trainers who were not knowledgeable about injury prevention and postural distortions (as many personal trainers are not, unfortunately). She went through about three trainers before me. They trained this overweight woman in her sixties with chronic knee and back problems as if they’re training a twenty-something athlete.  (The general concept in such cases is to gradually work your way up, but most trainers don't do this for business reasons, as shown when Jane said, "The intense training felt great and I was losing weight.  Too bad I started having all these problems.")

Consequently, their inappropriate training contributed to the worsening of Jane's physical ailments. Despite having quick weight loss, it didn’t last because her back and knee problems were exacerbated from the rigorous exercises with no emphasis on correction and rehabilitation (and other necessary precautions were not taken). As a result, she entered this negative spiral of incremental pain and weight gain.

As her knee problems and back pains became worse, she had to discontinue her training. Jane would probably have been better off not having those previous personal trainers who probably focused more on marketing their services than the long term well-being of the client. Jane's body was a mess by the time I saw her for the first time. At that point, she was in this catch-22 where she needed more physical activity than anyone because of her weight. However, most exercises would exacerbate the pre-existing damage in her knees and lower back which would result in immobilizing her and cause further weight gain in the long run.

Although this is one of the worst cases that I’ve seen, it is not uncommon for one to enter a similar negative spiral. To prevent from getting into the same predicament, you must devote some focus on prevention such as proper warm-up and stretching (such as those taught in NASM-CES courses for trainers and health professionals), strengthening your core, and training with all the necessary components such as cardio, flexibility, strength, prioception, and neuromuscular control.

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Bad Posture May Contribute To Weight Gain

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For the long term success of your fitness goals, you must learn to maintain correct posture during exercise and in your everyday life. Maintaining correct posture during any type of exercise is crucial in preventing injuries, preventing the development of chronic pain, and preventing re-aggravation of past injuries. These problems can prevent you from the simplest physical activities and throw you off-track perpetually. As a result of being thrown off, you could enter a negative spiral of incremental weight gain and various possible chronic conditions. Therefore, being conscious of posture to prevent and correct joint problems and injuries is important for long-lasting weight-loss and fitness.

I had a client in the past, Jane, who was borderline obese in her late 60’s when I first trained her. She had a lower back condition and chronic knee problems. (She was cleared by her doctor to start exercising again, but she still have pains.) Merely walking was painful for her knees and her lower back. Walking up and down the stairs were painful for her. According to her, she used to be in great shape years ago. However, Jane began having injuries from improper training and postural distortions over a long period of time. She then stopped exercising which paradoxically further contributed to her pains and physical problems. (There may have bee other contributors to her physical problems also. When she decided to exercise again, she hired personal trainers who were not knowledgeable about postural distortions (as many personal trainers are not, unfortunately). She went through about three trainers before me. They trained this overweight woman in her sixties with chronic knee and back problems as if they’re training a twenty-something athlete. Consequently, their inappropriate training contributed to the worsening of Jane's physical ailments. Despite having quick weight loss, it didn’t last because her back and knee problems were exacerbated from the rigorous exercises with no emphasis on postural correction (and other necessary precautions were not taken). As a result, she entered this negative spiral of incremental pain and weight gain as her knee problems and back pains became worse and she had to discontinue her training. Jane would probably have been better off not having those previous personal trainers who probably focused more on marketing their services than the long term well-being of the client. Jane's body was a mess by the time I saw her for the first time. At that point, she was in this catch-22 where she needed more physical activity than anyone because of her weight. However, most exercises would exacerbate the pre-existing damage in her knees and lower back which would result in immobilizing her and cause further weight gain in the long run.

Although this is one of the worst cases that I’ve known, it is not uncommon for one to enter a similar negative spiral. To prevent from getting into the same predicament, you must learn the correct posture for every exercise you do, strengthen your core, and train properly (including all the necessary components such as cardio, flexibility, strength, and neuromuscular control).

Although I am providing a few pointers here in this blog, it would be better to show you in person how to maintain your posture during various exercises that you do. If you are in New York City, feel free to contact me at healthsciencewriter@gmail.com for a free training or consultation session to learn proper training. Just mention this blog to get a free session. For now, here are a few pointers here on what to do and what not to do:


Things To Do and Not To Do During Exercise

1. Do not protrude your chin. It is very common for people to protrude their chins and shift their heads forward as demonstrated in Figure 1 below. Be conscious of correcting this.





Figure 1. Do not protrude your head this way.

To correct this, you want to shift the head back while keeping the chin down (tucked in). Your head should be directly above your shoulders and your neck should be perpendicular (90 degrees) to the floor from the side view. (If you are lying down face up, your neck should be 90 degrees to the flat of your feet.) Notice that this woman (Figure 1) incorrectly has her neck at 40 degrees to the floor. The correct posture is demonstrated in Figures 2 and 3 below.


Figure 2 .


Figure 3

Be conscious of maintaining this correct neck position in all exercises, especially during sit-ups and crunches. Although this position will not immediately relieve already existing cervical (neck) pains, it does provide relief gradually if done over a long period, or it becomes habit.
2. Do not over arch your lower back during exercise. The position in Figures 4 and 5 demonstrates what not to do in over-arching your lower back and sticking out your butt (anterior pelvic tilt), or as I call it - the Donald Duck butt tilt.


Figure 4



Figure 5

3. Keep your knees bent (at least slightly) during most exercises.
4. Tuck in your abdomen and/or contract your abdominal muscles during all exercises. By doing so, you will provide extra lumbar (lower back) support during exercise. As an added bonus, tucking in your abdomen and/or contracting your abdominal muscles will allow you to burn more calories around the belly region.

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How To Drink More Water to Increase Metabolism and Improve Your Skin

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Certain habits together can increase your metabolism, or your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate.) There are at least eight habits to increase your RMR. I want to emphasize one of them today – aim to drink three liters of water per day, especially in this heat. Remember, it’s not all or nothing. If you can’t drink three liters, just get as close to that amount as possible. Here are some suggestions to increase your water intake.

● Drink at least one glass of water when you wake up. (I drink at least a glass after my morning coffee or tea, because I know coffee or tea makes us lose water.)
● Drink at least a glass of water before and/or during a meal. (Also, the more water you drink before and during a meal, the less you will be able to eat and still feel full.)
● Have a gallon bottle of water around, at least at home. I know I’ve been drinking at least half a gallon of water per day this past month because I finish at least half a gallon-bottle per day at home, and this is only at home.
● Carry at least one water bottle around, 24 fl. Oz or larger. Obviously, carrying a gallon water bottle is unrealistic. Refill your water bottle whenever you have a chance throughout the day.
● Look for different ways throughout the day to get additional water. For example, when I buy tea or coffee at Starbucks, I always request for an additional cup of hot water. When I am at work at the college and I buy coffee, I keep the cup throughout the day because I am refilling it with water throughout the day (in addition to my water bottle).

Drinking enough water in hot days is especially important to prevent certain medical problems associated with heat. Also, I feel that if I don’t drink at least half a gallon of water daily in the summer, I get this fatigue probably associated with dehydration. The advantages of drinking enough water are: increasing your metabolism, filling you up at meals while allowing you to eat less, improved circulation, cleansing the system (especially the kidneys), preventing fatigue in some cases, improving your skin tone by hydrating the skin, helping the body cool itself,…

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Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?

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Focusing on losing weight is very counterproductive. How many people have you known who've focused on losing weight and they did lose weight for a short period of time (using fad diets, starvation, or other quick methods) only to gain the weight back in the long term. In many of these cases, they end up heavier (and in worse shape) than they were before they set out to lose weight. If you are one of these people, it is time for a paradigm shift. How many times are you going fail using the same approach before trying a different approach? It's time to stop approaching it with different fad diets, quick-fix pills, starvation, and other short-term-gain methods. It has been said that approaching something the same way again and again while expecting a different result is mere insanity. It is time for a new focus or a new approach as I am offering here, as seemingly unconventional as it may be.

It begins with your mind. The first step is to put your mind on the right focus. What is the right focus? That depends on what it is that you want and this is exactly where we begin. Get out a notepad and write down what you want. If you write that you want to lose weight (as most of my clients do), your should also write why you want to lose weight. In most cases, my clients realized that losing weight is not really what they ultimately want. Here are some common examples from my clients:


1. "I want to lose weight because I want to look slim and look attractive…"

2. "I want to lose weight because I am afraid for my health. I am overweight and I have a family history of diabetes and coronary disease. There have been deaths in my family from these diseases…"

3. "I want to lose weight because I want to be a better basketball player…"

Example 1 represents many of my clients where they want to look slim and attractive. In these cases, it is best to first focus on increasing the body's metabolism (measured by BMR). The second focus would be decreasing the size of the waist (as measured by waist-to-hip-ratio). It has been supported in psychological studies that individuals with slimmer waists (regardless of weight) are perceived by most people as being more attractive. Also, people with smaller waists are less likely to get diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases that could kill you. The third focus is decreasing the body-fat percentage. The last focus is overall weight. It is last because just "losing weight" does not differentiate between the types of weight you are losing. For example, you should not lose bone and muscle weight but you definitely should lose fat weight.

Priority of Focus
1. Increasing metabolism (BMR or RMR)
2. Slimming down the waist (waist-to-hip-ratio)
3. Decreasing body fat percentage
4. Overall weight

As you can see here, I am not really discouraging people from losing weight, but I am teaching you that overall weight usually should be the last focus. First, you have to clearly know what you want. Most people who say they want to lose weight actually have a different root desire, such as wanting to look more attractive. In that case as you can see from the above "priority of focus" list, it is more effective in the long term to focus first on increasing your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate or the rate your body burns calories.)

I will be teaching you how to increase your RMR in future blogs. For now, be sure to take 10 minutes or so today to write down all the reasons why you want to "lose weight", or slim down. If you really want this, taking 10 minutes to do this should be no problem. (If you can't take 10 minutes to do this, then your problem is that you don't want it enough. In that case, no program anywhere will be able to help you. This is another common reason why many fail again and again. Failure starts with the mind, but success also starts with the mind.)

Assignment
So let's do this. Take out a notebook or pull up a word document on your computer (whichever you prefer):

(1) Write down your physical goal(s) whether it is losing weight, gaining weight, or any other goal.

(2) Explain why that's your goal. For example, if it's losing weight, write down all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Generally, the more you come up with, the better.

(3) Visualize how you will be and how you will look when you achieve 100% (or even 50% of) what you aim for. Imagine also how you will feel. Write them down. Describe how you will be, how you will look, and how you will feel.

If you already keep a daily diary, you could write in there. No one needs to see it. It's only for you and for programing your own mind. (If you don't program your own mind, someone else will, such as companies and advertisers.) Once you have it written down, you should review it often so that you could keep these in mind during your SpirFit walk. I will teach you about SpirFit walk, or SMP walk, in upcoming blogs.

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Copyright: © 2008, 2011. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 University of California, UC Davis, Brooklyn Tech

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University lose weight why write journal

Start With The Mind If You Want To Lose Weight

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Are you trying to "lose weight"? If you are, do you know that you have a better chance of getting your body to where you want it to be if you start with your mind? It's true. Your mind is more powerful than you think. Before you start (or restart) your journey to "lose weight", first understand the lesson about the power of your mind at - http://life.SpirFit.com/2009/08/facing-uncertainties-part-3.html

Although I talked about the power of the mind in healing and in increasing body temperature in that lesson, the mind can be easily used to alter your physique. It actually is relatively easier to change your physique than to heal a terminal disease or to dry wet cold towels on your bare back.



Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 University of California, UC Davis, Brooklyn Tech

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University Lose Weight Mind