Thursday, December 15, 2011
I have a guest poster that wanted to write a few things about cancer. I've known about 5 people, mostly family, that has died from cancer. Without further ado, please welcome David Haas. Thanks for taking the time to write out this article, David and wanting to post it on my blog! Clicking on his name will open another window, so go check him out! Also, click the highlighted words for valuable information on each one.
Exercise: A Drug-free Mood Enhancer
It’s not recent news that exercise is just good for you. Most people associate exercise with reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. Less well-known is its ability to help prevent many types of cancer like breast, prostate, mesothelioma and colon cancer.
As a cancer patient or survivor, talking about prevention may seem like trying to go horseback riding after Dobbin has left the building. On the other hand, exercise improves your sense of well-being and makes your entire body work better. A good mental outlook may be one of the things your doctor recommends as a powerful tool in fighting your cancer.
Your body goes through the process of building tissue and then breaking it down again. Carbohydrates and fat provide the fuel. Adequate exercise helps you maintain the right balance between building bone and muscle tissue and using up excess fatty tissue.
That said, getting lots of physical exercise at least three times a week may help ward off all kinds of diseases and disorders. Unfortunately, less than half of us get enough.
Just what is “enough exercise” anyway? A lot of people may consider a five-minute walk around the block a couple of times a week and a Saturday shopping trip to be all the exercise they need or want. They would be wrong.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends moderately intense physical activity for 30 minutes five days a week or vigorous activity for 20 minutes three times a week. Nobody can walk back and forth to the refrigerator that many times in a week.
The bad news is exercise is a little bit of work. The good news is exercise is fun and can be incorporated into your daily activities.
Moderate exercise includes activities like walking around the neighborhood with a loved one, taking Fido out for a daily run, attending water aerobics or participating in a yoga class. Hiking qualifies. Using crutches qualifies. Hiking while using crutches is a little over the top.
Doing housework and performing maintenance and repair jobs around the house are good exercise, too. Using a minimum of labor saving tools and equipment boosts your body’s energy consumption and revs up your metabolism. You’ll feel more energetic the rest of the day and will have a nice clean house besides.
