Nutrition and Exercise

Nutrition

Establishing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to your survivorship experience. At any stage of your journey, it is important to do all you can to improve your overall health. Eating nutritious, fresh foods can help provide your body with the fuel it needs to not only survive, but thrive. Creating goals for yourself that support a healthy lifestyle can lower your risk for cancer recurrence, increase your energy, and improve your overall well-being.

The American Cancer Society’s guidelines to lower cancer risk include:

• Eating a variety of healthy foods, with an emphasis on plant sources.
• Adopting a physically active lifestyle.
• Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life.
• Limiting alcohol intake.

In 2017, the American Cancer Society released physical activity and nutrition guidelines specifically for cancer survivors. This resource provides extensive information on nutrition throughout your survivorship journey.

When determining ways to improve your overall nutrition, it is important to take into account your current eating habits as well as your unique nutritional needs as a cancer survivor. Your nutritional intake significantly impacts your overall wellness. Consider keeping a food diary to monitor your consumption and determine ways to maximize your health throughout your cancer survivorship experience. 

The New American Plate

Exercise

The relationship between cancer and physical activity has been extensively studied. Research indicates many benefits from physical activity, including reduced fatigue, weight loss or control, improved fitness, and general enhancement in your quality of life. Physically active people have, on average, a lower risk of colon, breast, endometrial, and lung cancers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults ages 18-64 receive 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. While this recommendation is for the general population, the American Cancer Society released physical activity and nutrition guidelines specifically for cancer survivors in 2017. This resource provides extensive information on physical activity throughout your survivorship journey.

As a cancer survivor, it may be difficult to find the energy to be physically active. However, making the effort to increase or maintain your physical activity throughout your survivorship experience can reduce your risk for cancer recurrence or your risk for developing a second cancer. Low impact exercise such as yoga or tai chi offers a good opportunity for cancer survivors to ease back into consistent physical activity, all while improving their breathing, mental health, and overall wellbeing. The American Cancer Society offers recommendations for incorporating physical activity into your survivorship experience.

Last Updated: 10/30/2020 10:06:22 AM

Additional Resources