CARE WITH SAMARA: SPECIFIC EXERCISES FOR CANCER RECOVERY

Cancer and its treatments result in side effects that impair quality of life. The most common side effect reported by cancer patients is cancer-related fatigue. Cancer patients report that fatigue begins with diagnosis and worsens during treatment. It can persist for months, years, and after treatment is complete.

Opting for exercises for cancer patients is not just to improve their physical but mental health as well. It’s always best suggested to start with something less strenuous and then graduate to more intensive exercises, as time progresses.

Exercises for Fatigue

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises for cancer patients is beneficial to boost not just their physical but mental health as well. It might not seem like much but the breathing exercises do help in calming down the mind and bring in peace, which is important for patients.

Make sure to stick to easy breathing exercises in the beginning and then find the ones that do suit you in time. Here are a few you can try: 

Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises are particularly good for cancer patients who have lost mobility in certain parts of their body post-treatment or surgery. Stretching exercises do help in improving flexibility and strength.

People can overdo the stretching exercises to a point that it ends up inflicting pain. Avoid doing that. The exercises for cancer patients during treatment or even after treatment are meant to boost their recovery process and not make it worse.

Here are a few stretching exercises that you can try:

Balance Exercises

Cancer patients who do undergo chemotherapy are at an exposed risk of developing conditions associated with their lack of balance. This can be due to neuropathy (numbness in fingers and toes) or for those who have undergone a drastic change in their bone mass, where one fall can end up being the reason behind a fracture.

This is the primary reason why balance exercises are considered a must.

Here are a few you can try: 

Strength Training

These forms of exercises have been found to help tone the muscle and fight muscle often associated and common with cancer. Given the fact that chemotherapy has impacts on bone density, it’s not surprising that indulging in strength training is important in restoring muscle strength.

The benefits of the exercise not just help in the process of recovery but have also been found to have beneficial impacts on both the physical as well as mental health of an individual.

Some of the common benefits of exercise for cancer patients include:

• Helps in boosting the overall physical health by boosting the overall muscle and bone strength as well as getting rid of the weakness that builds over time.
• Exercise has been reported to have amazing impacts in getting rid of the fatigue as well as the constant tiredness that the majority of cancer patients tend to struggle with.
• Exercises for cancer patients after treatment has been found to help reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
• Last but not the least, exercise programs help cancer patients in mental and emotional well- being as well. 

Disclaimer: Please do these exercises under supervision or contact CARER for supervision

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