CONSIDER: PRACTICAL EXERCISE STRATEGIES TO DECREASE RISK OF CANCER
WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOLS WE HAVE TO REDUCE OUR RISK IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER WOULDN’T COST YOU A SINGLE PENNY?
WELL IT’S TRUE AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GET UP AND GET MOVING!
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, PEOPLE WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR AT LEAST 13 DIFFERENT CANCERS. AMONG THOSE CANCERS ARE BREAST, THYROID, PANCREAS, LIVER, KIDNEYS. UTERUS, OVARIES AND COLON.
ALTHOUGH OUR BODY SIZE AND WEIGHT CAN BE INFLUENCED BY FACTORS OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL LIKE GENETICS AND OUR ENVIRONMENT, THERE ARE ALSO FACTORS WITHIN OUR GRASP THAT WE CAN USE IN OUR FAVOR!
ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO FOR OUR OVERALL HEALTH AND REDUCING THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER IS EXERCISE. THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RECOMMENDS THAT ADULTS GET AT LEAST 150 MINUTES OF MODERATE INTENSITY ACTIVITY OR 75 MINUTES OF VIGOROUS ACTIVITY EACH WEEK.
EARLIER, I WROTE “ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GET UP AND GET MOVING”. ALTHOUGH IT IS IN FACT THAT SIMPLE, I AM EMPATHETIC WITH THE FACT THAT SOMETHING SO SIMPLE IS NOT EASY!
AFTER HAVING COUNTLESS CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY MEMBERS AND CLIENTS, I KNOW FORST HAND THAT WHAT PREVENTS SO MANY PEOPLE FROM GETTING STARTED IS THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THEY JUST DON’T KNOW HOW OR WHERE TO START.
SO, I WANT TO TAKE THE GUESS WORK OUT AND PROVIDE PRACTICAL EXAMPLES AS TO HOW YOU CAN IMPLEMENT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RECOMMENDATIONS INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.
MODERATE ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATION – 150-300 MINUTES / WEEK
EXAMPLES: WALKING, BICYCLING, DANCING, MOWING THE LAWN, GARDENING
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:
10 MINUTE WALK - 3X/DAY FOR 5 DAYS/WEEK = 150 MINUTES
VIGOROUS ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATION – 75-150 MINUTES / WEEK
EXAMPLES: JOGGING/RUNNING, WEIGHT TRAINING, SPIN CLASS/FASTER BICYCLING, SWIMMING, CIRCUIT TRAINING, BIGGER LANDSCAPING PROJECT
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:
15 MINUTE WEIGHT LIFTING SESSION – 5DAYS/WEEK = 75 MINUTES
I BELIEVE THAT AN IDEAL OPTION WOULD BE A COMBINATION OF THE TWO! BELOW IS WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE:
10 MINUTE WALK AFTER EACH MEAL - 3X/DAY FOR 5 DAYS/WEEK = 150 MINUTES OF MODERATE ACTIVITY
30 MINUTE WEIGHT LIFTING SESSION – TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS – 2 DAYS/WEEK = 60 MINUTES VIGOROUS ACTIVITY
MOWING THE LAWN – 1X/WEEK – 60 MINUTES MODERATE ACTIVITY
210 TOTAL MINUTES OF MODERATE ACTIVITY
60 TOTAL MINUTES OF VIGOROUSE ACTIVITY
IF THIS IS A NEW LIFESTYLE ADJUSTMENT FOR YOU, REMEMBER THAT STARTING SLOWLY IS ADVISED. YOU CAN PROGRESS YOUR ABILITY TO DO MORE OVER TIME. THIS NEEDS TO BE A REPEATABLE PRIORITY. IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK DAY AFTER DAY. START SIMPLE, BUILD CONFIDENCE, DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE ROUTINE, HAVE FUN, THEN PROGRESS!
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY GUIDELINES