Episode 4 - 5 Things to know about exercising during cancer treatment

This episode was made in response to the overwhelming response to the first few episodes of the show. So many people got in touch with me to let me know that they had no idea exercise could help cancer patients and that this field existed. In this episode, I talk about the safety of exercise during cancer treatment, how it can be beneficial, what to expect when you're setting goals and some how to modify exercise appropriately. 

Show Notes

1:30 -  Thank you: the feedback I’ve gotten from the initial episodes have inspired me to keep going

2:30 – The common forms of therapy (radiation, chemotherapy & hormonal therapy), what they are and some of their side effects

8:07 – Point 1. Exercise is safe during exercise. I talk about how not exercising may be even worse.

10:28 – Point 2. You may need to modify exercise around the side effects of treatment. I talk briefly about some common side effects (lymphedema, peripheral neuropathy, low blood cell count etc.  and how you can tailor your exercise accordingly.

17.10 -  Point 3. Your treatment related symptoms will fluctuate. You will have times during the day or week where your symptoms are more or less pronounced.

20:09 – No progress can be a good thing. Your body can take a massive hit from treatment. It helps to understand what you will go through and how exercise can attenuate some of these side effect. By reframing your expectations of what exercise will do during treatment, you can set appropriate goals and avoid potential disappointment.

22.46 – Point 5. Exercise may be a medicine during treatment. I talk about how exercise may affect tumor biology and chemotherapy completion rate and some of the implications of these.

28.02 – Takeaways – Some practical advice for exercising during treatment and how to modify it to your activity level.