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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? Research is increasingly showing that fitness can curtail cancer risk<\/a> \u2013 and even help keep cancer<\/a> from coming back.<\/p>\n One trial<\/a> last year showed that colon cancer patients<\/a> who were part of a three-year exercise program were less likely to see cancers recur and had increased survival. That\u2019s because exercise appears to increase the activity of cancer-fighting immune cells. <\/p>\n \u201cIf we had a drug with this magnitude of benefit, it would immediately become standard of care and funded\u201d by insurance companies, Dr. Christopher Booth, an oncologist and professor at Queen\u2019s University in Kingston, Ontario, told The New York Times<\/a> on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Exercise has also been shown to lessen inflammation and insulin, which are linked to some cancers, according to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n While more research is needed to understand the processes in the body that occur when cancer patients exercise, the overall evidence supports the benefits of exercise for people battling the disease, experts say. <\/p>\n \u201cThe science shows that exercising during cancer treatment eases fatigue, anxiety and depression while improving quality of life and physical function,\u201d Karen Basen-Engquist, director of MD Anderson\u2019s Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, explained. <\/p>\n So how much is enough to see these benefits?<\/p>\n Cancer patients of all ages<\/a> should get around 30 minutes of daily exercise \u2013 including resistance training and aerobic exercise, according to most guidance. <\/p>\n That\u2019s the same recommendation as for people without cancer. Fortunately, the 30-minutes of exercise doesn\u2019t have to be a high-impact workout. <\/p>\n Walking, in particular, has shown results, leading to higher quality of life and lower fatigue in patients, a study<\/a> of more than 1,700 patients with colorectal cancer found.<\/p>\n And calming yoga can help with sleep, anxiety and mood, according to the University of Rochester Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Exercise can also fight groggy \u201cchemo brain\u201d by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation and leading to brain changes that support learning and memory. <\/p>\n Exercising for up to 150 minutes a week before getting chemotherapy was shown to keep cognitive impairment associated with treatment at bay, according to a 2021 study<\/a> of breast cancer patients.<\/p>\n For breast cancer patients, exercise may also lower the risk of lymphedema \u2013 swelling in the arms and legs \u2013 and other complications that people tend to experience after breast cancer treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n “There are a lot of training regimens that have shown to have a myriad of positive outcomes for patients with breast cancer,” Dr. Andrea L. Cheville, a physiatrist at Mayo Clinic, said in February.<\/p>\n
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Doing yoga and other low-impact exercise is enough to make a positive difference for people with cancer. Years of research shows fitness can improve quality of life for the patients (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Just](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-489654666.jpeg\")
Just walking has been proven to lower fatigue in patients with colorectal cancer (Getty Images)<\/p>\n