| We keep hearing the health message that all people | | | | into our lives and the question of where we are |
| should undertake physical activity and most of us, if | | | | going to do the exercise. Is it best to go the gym? |
| we listen to it at all, think, "Yes, yes. I'm sure it is a | | | | For those who fit going into the gym seamlessly into |
| good idea." And then we promptly forget about it. | | | | their lives: congratulations. For the rest of us the |
| However, until I started to research the medical | | | | short answer is NO, we don't have to go to the |
| papers I didn't have any idea of just how important | | | | gym. |
| exercise was in both preventing and treating cancer. | | | | BUT we do have to do SOMETHING. We do need to |
| This article will focus largely on the prevention aspect. | | | | walk, move, lift and carry so that our body is used |
| Most of us are largely set in our ways and are very | | | | to capacity on occasions. And we need to do this |
| busy. The thought of having to add hours more of | | | | physical activity regularly, most days of every week. |
| exercise time into our lives is just more than we | | | | It sounds boring to suggest that you fit physical |
| want to have to think about. | | | | activity into your everyday life, but that is the most |
| I am fully well aware that unless most people have a | | | | time effective way of doing it. If at all possible make |
| health scare, either their own or someone close to | | | | it something very enjoyable. But if you can't make |
| them, most won't even think about prevention of | | | | enjoyable, then make it acceptable. |
| disease. | | | | If you have to do housework or yard work anyway, |
| But as we get older, as our bodies don't respond in | | | | or if you have to walk to or from work then you |
| quite the way we want them to; as a friend, or two | | | | might at least do it to the stage where you are |
| or three, faces the prospect of a life with definite | | | | gently sweating - it doesn't have to be overdone and |
| limits (that is, they now know they are dying), then | | | | you don't have to smell like a sewer. You just need |
| we start to think of what we can do to put off the | | | | to get the heart rate up and the blood system and |
| inevitable. | | | | oxygen moving around your body. |
| The thought often goes to having a medical check | | | | And don't avoid lifting and carrying. Your body is |
| up and socially that is the acceptable thing to do. | | | | made to do it, so make the most of the little things |
| However the doctor is likely to want to prescribe | | | | you need to do anyway. Do be conscious, however, |
| you drugs. In my case the doctor wanted to | | | | of your limits. Take it slowly and build up your |
| prescribe me drugs which, despite the pharmaceutical | | | | capacity again if it has dropped over the years. |
| hype, have not been proven to have any beneficial | | | | That is the first step. The second is usually to add |
| effect on lengthening women's lives at all - for men it | | | | some more activity. Make sure this additional activity |
| might decrease their chance of dying by less than | | | | is fun and by letting the feel-good hormones out into |
| 1%. This attitude is very common. | | | | the body the immune system gains an additional |
| I then discovered that exercise could reduce my risk | | | | boost in its functioning. Our mind and body are |
| of dying from cancer (and other causes) by around | | | | intimately connected and we need to remember that |
| 30% to 50% and sometimes even more. That is a | | | | and make the most of the fact. A multitude of |
| huge amount. Study after study after study is | | | | positive actions not only make you feel better they |
| showing that exercise reduces the risk of many | | | | might just be sufficient to keep your immune system |
| different types of cancer. | | | | functioning at full capacity, keeping you healthier for |
| But then we are back to the issue of how to fit it | | | | much longer. |