Gyms and fitness centers have begun to meet the growing need for programs designed to lessen recovery time and to address the fatigue, swelling of the lymphedema and loss of muscle tone caused by chemotherapy. There have always been athletically inclined patients even competitive, for example high-profile Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau and of course Lance Armstrong. Most of the 10 million cancer survivors in the
Oncologists are now prescribing exercise to prod patients into walking, simple stretches or exercise with resistance bands. This shift in thinking began in the 1980 along with a greater awareness in health and fitness. Oncologists were then faced with questions regarding amount, intensity and when to exercise during a course of treatment. Studies reported the positive affects of exercise in reducing cancer. These positive results led to the next question, how does exercise and diet impact those with cancer?
In recent years there has been much research done, one study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute looked at the effects moderate exercise had on a group of breast cancer and prostate cancer patients those assigned to a daily program of walking and exercises done with a resistance band had less fatigue, greater strength and better aerobic capacity. This finding and similar ones have been reproduced many times.
