• Talk to your doctor before you start any type of exercise.

• Here are some questions to ask your doctor:

  • Are there weight limits or certain exercises to avoid?
  • How long should I exercise at each session?
  • Should I keep my heart rate within a certain range?
  • Ask your doctor who can help you set up a safe exercise program if this is the case.

• Start slow. Even if you only do a few minutes of activity a day, it will help. The amount of time spent being active can be slowly increased. Your muscles will tell you when you need to slow down and rest.

• Try short periods of exercise with frequent rest breaks. For example, walk briskly (or jog or run, if you can) for a few minutes, then slow down and walk at a slower pace for 1-2 minutes before picking up your faster pace again. Keep doing this until your fast-paced activity totals to 30 minutes. Even if you have to divide the 30 minutes throughout your day, you will still get the benefits of the exercise!

• Include exercises that will help you keep lean muscle mass and bone strength like exercising with a resistance band or lightweights. If you do not have exercise equipment, there are many ways to use your own body as resistance (push-ups, crunches, squats, and lunges are perfect examples).

• Include exercises that will increase your flexibility and the range of motion in your joints. Being flexible and having a good range of motion also protects you from injuries while exercising and can improve your exercise performance.

• Start all physical activity with a warmup for at least 2-3 minutes. This includes toe tapping, shoulder shrugs, marching in place with high knees, arm circles, or jumping jacks.

• Remember to match your breath to your exercise. The part of any exercise that requires exertion is when you should be exhaling. For example, during a lunge, inhale while you lunge down and exhale when you come back up; during a sit up, inhale when your back is on the floor, exhale when you sit up; for running, try to keep a steady inhale/exhale breathing pace instead of taking non-rhythmic, short breaths; while stretching, exhale while you try to go deeper into the stretch.

• Finish any physical activity with 2-3 minutes of stretching. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Examples of stretching are reaching overhead, deep breathing, and bending over to touch your toes.

Sources:

American Cancer Society, 2022. Physical Activity and the Person with Cancer.

American Cancer Society, 2020. American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.