A guest post today from a lady called Melanie Bowen, see what you think. It’s high quality and i am sure you will find it fascinating.
Regaining Physical Health and Fighting Cancer
Fitness is extremely important at any time, but can be especially vital for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Exercise and breathing techniques can help with relaxation. Physical fitness has been shown to increase the immune system and makes treating cancer easier. Each stage of cancer has different fitness techniques that be more appropriate than others. From light to advanced exercise, these fitness techniques can help to alleviate cancer symptoms and make treatment run more smoothly.
Breathing Exercises
This lighter form of exercise is great for improving lung function. It increases blood circulation in the body, reduces fatigue and is a primary form of self-care. Individuals who have lung cancer may find it difficult to do even simple forms of exercise, but breathing techniques can still help. Prolonged, slow breathing can increase oxygen flow and make it easier to stay active while at home. Those with mesothelioma prognosis or other lung-related cancers need to increase their breathing abilities through simple, daily techniques. The goal at this point of treatment is to gradually increase fitness levels at home. Breathing techniques help this by making the patient slowly increase their physical activity levels.
Water Aerobics
As cancer patients enter the recovery process, they can begin to transition from light exercise to moderate fitness programs. Water aerobics is a great moderate fitness routine because it helps to build cardiovascular endurance and increase the circulation in the body. Since it is performed in the water, it is easier on the joints and reduces stress to the body’s limbs. Water typically has 12 to 14 times the resistance levels of land-based exercises. This factor helps water aerobics to increase the patient’s flexibility and strength. In addition, water aerobics helps with weight maintenance. Since the patient is submerged in water, they can easily control their body temperature and prevent overheating during exercise.
Weight Training
When patients have entered the later stages of recovery, they need to focus on returning the body to good health and maintaining it. One excellent exercise for this vigorous level of activity is weight training. By lifting weights, patients can increase their muscular endurance and improve their cardiovascular system. Weight training is also great because it naturally boosts energy levels. The NCI actually recommends using weight training during the later stages of cancer because it can help regain muscle tone.
Patients who have developed more fat tissue during their treatment process can begin to decrease the fat tissue naturally with weight training. Cancer of the prostate, stomach, head and neck are all known to decrease the amount of muscle mass in the body. In order to battle cancer, patients have to regain their muscle mass and increase their fitness levels.
There are different physical activities for each stage of cancer. Patients need to start slowly with light fitness programs as they try to regain muscle mass. Through consistent work, cancer survivors can increase their blood circulation, regain muscle mass and improve their cardiovascular system. All of these factors make it easier to regain physical health and boost energy levels. In the battle against cancer, exercise is key to returning to good health.
