Rebuilding Confidence After Male Cancer Through Movement
Experiencing cancer is a significant life event that can impact various factors in your routine, including exercise. It is normal to lack confidence and motivation, as well as be fearful to exercise after just being diagnosed, undergoing treatment or being in remission. Cancer and its treatments can have significant short and long-term impacts on your overall health and quality of life. As treatments and technology continue to evolve, the effectiveness of cancer treatments is improving, as well as seeing a reduction in the risk of toxicity on various parts of the body (Schumacher et al., 2021).
Exercise is possible during every stage of the cancer treatment; however, it is recommended that consultation with a medical and exercise professional is completed first (Hayes et al., 2023). A study looking into a small population of patients who have experienced cancer found that the risk of cancer recurrence, cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality can be up to 40-50% lower in physically active than inactive individuals.
Why don’t I feel like exercising?
Cancer treatments can have a significant impact on your body and how it functions both in the short and long term. Common treatments including radiation, chemotherapy and ADT, as well as surgical interventions, can cause a range of side effects including a change in energy levels, a decrease in muscle mass and bone strength, and changes to sexual, urinary and bowel function. These side effects can lead to an increased risk of adverse mental health symptoms, increased fracture risk and an increased risk of developing a different chronic condition or comorbidity, therefore impacting overall quality of life (Schumacher et al., 2019). Treatments have also been found to impact joint stability and pain, body weight and both cardiovascular and respiratory function. Hayes et al. (2023) found there to be a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people who have experienced cancer in their lifetime. This is due to multiple shared risk factors between cancer and CVD. The good news is, the majority of these risks are lifestyle factors that can be moderated and altered to decrease your overall risk.
Why is it important to build exercise into my weekly routine?
There are consistent findings that indicate that an exercise intervention can improve energy levels and sleep, manage depression and anxiety, increase bone strength, treat lymphedema and improve overall physical function (Schumacher et al., 2019). Significant improvements have also been seen in cardiorespiratory fitness and function, muscle strength and flexibility. This leads to increased performance of functional tasks, allowing you to remain independent and complete everyday tasks independently and without significant restriction. These factors also help decrease overall falls and fracture risk, as well as improve your body’s ability to manage its sugar levels.
All of these factors have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being, which has been found to decrease the overall risk of cancer recurrence and developing other chronic health conditions or comorbidities, including CVD (Cancer Research UK, 2015).
What kind of exercise should I be completing?
Currently, there are no specific exercise guidelines for people who have experienced cancer. This is due to the varying cancer diagnoses and side effects experienced by each individual. This allows you to focus on your personal goals and get you back to where you were before, or do something new!
Cancer Research UK and the World Cancer Research Fund recommend aiming for the same exercise guidelines recommended for all adults. This involves 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise across the whole week. It is also recommended that two strength sessions be included in this guideline.
Hayes et al. (2023) suggest that it is important to have a mix of exercise modes where possible to allow for improvements in overall function. You can prioritise the ones that are most important for you based on your goals and any potential weaknesses you may have. Pelvic floor exercises are also important for those who have experienced genitourinary and colorectal cancers.
Here are some ideas of exercises you can add to your week:
- Aerobic exercise – walking, cycling, swimming, jogging and rowing
- Resistance/strength exercise – squat, press-ups, shoulder press, deadlifts and deadbugs
- Balance exercise – single leg stance, heel to toe walking, add in a dual task to make it harder (e.g. pass a ball around your body while balancing)
- Mobility exercise – thread the needle, cat cow,
- Hydrotherapy exercise – swimming, marching, arm and leg raises
- Pelvic floor exercise – glute bridges, deadbugs and pelvic tilts
How do I make sure to prioritise exercise in my week?
Building something new into your week is hard! Here are some tips to help you begin or get back into your exercise journey:
- Do something you enjoy
- Start small – break your exercise into 5-10 minutes a day, three times a week, and build it up each week
- Plan out your exercise for the week
- Keep a logbook or habit tracker
- Exercise with someone else
- Set some goals – what can you not currently do that you’d love to be able to do in the future? (Think big and small)
- Make healthy incidental choices – get off the bus one stop earlier and walk a little bit further to get home, or take the stairs instead of the escalator
- Consult with an exercise professional and get something booked in that you can commit to
References
Campbell, A., Stevinson, C., & Crank, H. (2012). The BASES expert statement on exercise and cancer survivorship. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(9), 949-952.
Cancer Research UK. (2015). Exercise guidelines for cancer patients | Cancer in general | Cancer Research UK. Cancerresearchuk.org. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/physically/exercise-guidelines
Hayes, S. C., Spence, R. R., Galvão, D. A., & Newton, R. U. (2023). The Exercise and Sports Science Australia position statement: exercise medicine in cancer management. Pensar en Movimiento: Revista de ciencias del ejercicio y la salud, 21(2).
Schumacher, O., Luo, H., Taaffe, D. R., Galvao, D. A., Tang, C., Chee, R., … & Newton, R. U. (2021). Effects of exercise during radiation therapy on physical function and treatment-related side effects in men with prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Radiation Oncology* Biology* Physics, 111(3), 716-731.
