September is “Lymphoma Awareness Month” and it is only natural that I merge what my career and passion is (exercise/fitness/health) with my personal life (my dad being a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor). As I’ve mentioned before that my dad is a cancer survivor. He was the original self-entrepreneur of the family owning his own music teaching business. He told my brother and I that we have to find what we love to do and do it and that hard work will get you anywhere you want to go. He exercises and therefore can vouch for everything I’m about to say.
Cancer and Exercise
There have been numerous studies and research done that have shown a positive association of physical activity DURING TREATMENT with many benefits. (1,5) These benefits include:
- Quality of life (QoL)
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- Muscle strength
- Flexibility
- Anxiety management
- Depression management
- Decreased fatigue
- Body weight control
- Possibly decrease the effects of chemotherapy
- And other health-related biomarkers
Lymphoma and Exercise
- Exercise May Be Safe: Researchers have found that physical activity is safe and feasible for hematological cancers (lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma) reporting benefits such as improvement in body composition (increase in muscle mass), muscle strength, aerobic capacity and decreased fatigue. (3,5)
- Aerobic Exercise: Twelve weeks of added aerobic training provided a host of benefits over the usual care in improved QoL, happiness, cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle mass and decreasing fatigue and depression. At a 6 month follow up, aerobic training still proved superior. (4,5)
- Maintenance: The goal of exercise and physical activity during treatment should be to maintain activity levels as much as possible. (5) You may need to reduce the amount of activity, stop at times and “get it in” when your feeling great.
After Cancer
The purpose of exercise during survivorship is twofold. First, it is to return the body to pre-cancer state and two to prevent long-term side effects. (2) As I’ve outlined many times over the positive outcomes seen with physical activity and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are present again. (2) The governing body, The American Cancer Society, has specific recommendations for cancer survivors (5):
- 3-5 days per week
- 20-30 minutes per session
- Low to moderate intensity 50-75%
- Exercise as tolerated
- Strength training at least 2 days/week
- Avoid inactivity!
The American Cancer Society recommends an individualized program that meets the specific needs of the patient and their preferences which can be designed by an exercise professional. If you or someone you know has cancer or is a cancer survivor and they are unsure how to begin exercising then contact me today to get started. There is no time like the present to B3 Fit, B3 Healthy and B3 A Client!
I would love to hear anyone’s story about surviving cancer and exercise, how exercise has helped them or someone they know, please share!
References
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Schwartz AL. Physical activity. Semin. Oncol Nurs. 2008; 24:164-70
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Speed-Andrews, A. E., & Courneya, K. S. (2009). Effects of Exercise on Quality of Life and Prognosis in Cancer Survivors. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine), 8(4), 176-181.
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Lui DKS, Chinapow MJM, Huijgens PC, Mechelen WV. Physical exercise interventions in hematological cancer patients, feasible to conduct but effectiveness to be established: a systematic literature review. Cancer Treat. Rev. 2008; 35:185-92.
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Coumeya KS, Sellar CM, Stevinson C, et al. Effects of aerobic exercise on physical functioning and quality of life in lymphoma patients: a randomized control trial. JCO
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Rock et. al. (2012). Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors. CANCER J CLIN 2012;62:242-274.
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