Keeping Active During Cancer Treatment

If you’re being treated for cancer or recovering, you may have thought it was important to rest, but research shows that exercise benefits most people with cancer during and after treatment.  Being active can help manage some of the common side effects of treatment, speed up recover, and improve your quality of life.  For some cancers, exercise may even improve how you respond to treatment.  Being physically active, along with eating a healthy diet, can help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back (reoccurrence) for some cancer types.  It also helps reduce the risk of developing other health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.  

According to the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA), exercise should be prescribed to all cancer patients as a standard part of their cancer care to help manage the effects of cancer and its treatment.  Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) also encourages people with cancer to exercise.   

A gentle way to achieve some movement during treatment is through the centuries old system of QiGong – a system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality and martial arts training.  One of our speakers is a Registered Acupuncturist and has kindly uploaded some videos of her performing QiGong:  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6KnHHUoujN3CE7K1YCePbA 

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