Thursday, February 9, 2012


Cancer Warriors Pump Up Their Exercise Routines

 Surviving breast cancer treatment, which included a double mastectomy, caused Renee Nicholas to gain thirty pounds. Since it is a well established fact that excess weight increases the odds of a recurrence, she was understandably concerned by this turn of events. Ultimately, she embraced exercise as the solution to her problem and lost the excess weight.

More and more, doctors, research studies, cancer survivor programs and cancer survivors themselves are embracing exercise as good for both current cancer patients and cancer survivors. It helps cancer patients, whether they are dealing with prostate cancer or a more aggressive cancer like lung cancer, keep their energy levels up, control pain and other side effects of treatment, and helps them keep their weight closer to normal or optimal levels. It also helps their self image at a time when that is under assault and helps them maintain some sense of control over life. For survivors, it helps them rebuild their lives and lower their risk of a recurrence.

 As with any fitness program, the best results come from a combination of exercise and healthy dietary changes. A well rounded diet is as important to reducing the odds of recurrence as a good fitness program. Fresh fruits aren't necessarily harder to snack on than junk food, especially if you do a small amount of prep work ahead of time. For example, if you buy seedless grapes, you can rinse them and remove them from the vine as soon as you get home from the grocery store, before putting them away. This makes them as easy to grab and snack on as a bag of cookies while also extending their freshness. The hardest part is usually the process of changing your habits. Once you are in the habit of exercising and eating right, it becomes your normal routine and is usually no harder to maintain than your old lifestyle.

Katrina Evans is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially fascinated with health and wellness. She enjoys making a difference in people’s lives providing whatever support she can seeing how devastating cancer can be for people and their families. Katrina also likes working out, gardening and listening to cool podcasts.


Max Life does not condone the use of conventional cancer treatments or the majority of causes, races and/or events that attempt to raise money for cancer awareness.