Activity and Exercise
Whether you are already very active or you are keen to start, a new diagnosis of cancer can leave you with questions about how active you should be and what kind of activities or exercises you should do.
In general, physical activity is safe and has many benefits such as boosting your mood, reducing tiredness and improving your quality of sleep. It can help you to build strength and continue to do the things which are important to you.
Unless you have been told by a health care professional to avoid certain activities, it is generally safe to be physically active.
There may be days you don’t feel like being active, and it is important to listen to your body. If you are fighting an infection, running a temperature, or experiencing severe fatigue you should rest. Otherwise, ease off a little with shorter periods of activity or more gentle activities. If easing off still doesn’t help then speak to a member of your care team.
Starting exercise can be scary and intimidating but it doesn’t need to be. Lots of us have bad memories of PE or gym at school, but any physical activity that you enjoy, like walking, swimming or gardening will help build your fitness.
The idea is to keep moving for longer periods of time. By staring slowly at a pace you can manage and building up slowly, you will be able to do more over time.
If you feel you would like more support ask your GP or hospital care team about being referred to local support and advice groups or gyms if this hasn’t already happened for you.
Yes. Being more active is known to help a wide range of health conditions. Even with long-standing issues such as back pain, physical activity can be safe and help to ease your symptoms. But, if you have specific concerns or think it would help to get support or advice, a physiotherapist, gym instructor or your care teams should be able to help.
Worry is natural but perhaps this website will help to explain why being active is helpful.
Go for a walk or a bike ride together may also help them see that you are safe & being active is helping you. This time with your family might also help them to manage any worries they have.
That’s ok. There will be days where you just feel too tired. But even on those days, small amounts of gentle activity will help you feel less tired overall. Even if this activity is just a walk around the room occasionally, or a short walk to the end of the road, it’s still activity and is still good for you. When you are feeling well enough, try to build up to 5 to 10 minutes at a time, setting goals to help with motivation.
But remember, if you feel unwell, or sore, then slow down or stop. If you are fighting an infection, running a temperature, or experiencing severe fatigue, then you should rest.
Wellbeing
The news of a cancer diagnosis is an extremely difficult time for both patients and their suppoters. It can bring about many psychological, emotional, spiritual and physical challenges and these challenges can feel overwhelming. The Macmillan booklet ‘How are you feeling? The emotional effects of cancer’ offers guidance to anyone who may feel lonely or isolated following a cancer diagnosis. To access the booklet click here
Maggie’s have some excellent relaxation exercises which can help with managing difficult emotions and increase your sense of control: Maggie’s Relaxation video
NHS Inform also has some information on breathing and relaxation exercises which are designed to help you manage stress: NHS Breathing and Relaxation Exercises (includes written/audio/videos)
Fatigue is a symptom which many people find difficult to understand, friends and family included. Reading and sharing the following booklet from Macmillan may help.
If you are experiencing difficulties with sleep, the self help tips on NHS Inform may help you:
Diet and Nutrition
It is understandable that many people will try to fight cancer or reduce treatment side effects through changing their diet. However, if you, or a relative or friend are planning this, it is important to know if you are making the right or wrong changes. The following questions and answers (recreated with kind permission from the BDA Oncology Group) should help you to make informed decisions.
Complementary diet: A diet used in conjunction with medical treatment to treat cancer
Alternative diet: A diet used to replace medical treatment to treat cancer
The following tables summarise some of the main diets that you may come across. It describes the common myths and facts relating to each diet.
| Dairy | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Hormones used in the production of milk promote hormone related cancerous tumour growth. | No link between dairy containing diets and risk of cancer or promoting cancer growth as a result of hormones. There is evidence suggesting a protective role of dairy in the development of breast cancer through increased intake of calcium, vitamin D, butyrate, conjugated linoleic acid and lactoferrin. |
| Soya | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Isoflavones, found in soy products have a similar chemical structure to the hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen can stimulate some cancers, therefore it was thought foods containing isoflavones might have the same effect. | Current evidence suggests that a diet containing naturally occurring Isoflavones is safe. Soya foods can be used as part of a healthy balanced diet as a non-meat source of protein and provide fibre. |
| Sugar | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Sugar feeds cancer cells | Cutting out sugar in diet does not restrict glucose (sugar) to cancer cells.Sugars are found in a number of healthy foods including complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. These are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and have been linked with a lower risk of cancer. It is recommended to reduce excessive sugar in the diet, particularly in the form of ‘free sugars’ or ‘simple’ sugars (for example those found in sugary drinks) as these are linked with being overweight. |
| Alkaline | |
| Myth | Fact |
| An acidic environment promotes ill health whereas an alkaline environment is beneficial and promotes good health. It is claimed that the food you eat can affect the body’s pH and that as our blood is naturally alkaline (~pH 7.4) eating acid foods upsets the balance | No consensus on grouping foods as acid or alkaline with many misclassified. Blood pH (7.4) is tightly regulated by the kidneys and respiratory system. Any excess acid is excreted in the urine. Blood pH is not altered by dietary intake. The alkaline diet suggests that eating an alkaline diet can create a hostile alkaline environment and therefore kill cancer. However neither cancer cells nor healthy cells can survive in an alkaline environment. There is no scientific literature establishing the benefit of an alkaline diet for curing cancer The only situation in which blood pH is altered is during metabolic acidosis, when an individual is critically ill. |
| Ketogenic | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Ketogenic diet (KD) decreases tumour size and spread | The KD is a low-carbohydrate diet. There are variations, with specific proportions of macronutrients depending on the type of KD followed. The existing research is on animals and in brain tumours. Human data is based on single cases and demonstrated weight loss, which may be a concern. A high protein intake may counteract the KD by providing glucogenic amino acids for production of glucose when the level of protein consumed exceeds the normal non starvation protein turnover. A KD can cause symptoms of constipation, diarrhoea and fatigue. Adherence may be low due to palatability, and prolonged dietary restrictions |
| Fasting | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Fasting can improve effect and symptoms of chemotherapy | There is some evidence that short term fasting (STF) might increase the effectiveness and tolerability of chemotherapy, most of the studies are in early stages or in animals. These preliminary studies are based on small groups and mostly in breast and ovarian cancer. The fasting regimes caused side-effects including: headaches, hunger, weakness, nausea, light-headedness and weight loss. Due to the lack of strong evidence and the risk in certain people it is not advised if you have certain conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or previous or existing eating disorders, a low body mass index (BMI≤19kg/m2) or history of recent weight loss. |
| Supplements | |
| Myth | Fact |
| Complementary alternative medicines can increase survival and reduce recurrence, optimise treatment, alleviate side effects and boost immune system. | Some vitamins and minerals could interfere with how well cancer drugs work. High dose antioxidants (coenzyme Q10, selenium, vitamins A, C, E) may help prevent cell damage but may stop chemotherapy from working as efficiently. Check with your oncology team before taking any supplements. |
There are many different types of diets circulating around the media; these top tips below can help you find out if the diet is credible or a myth:
Check the source: Reputable sources can be medical journals, reputable cancer charities or Health Professionals.
What is the evidence for the diet based on? Large population intervention studies on people with cancer would be a good basis for a reputable diet.
Is the diet being sold? Be careful if dietary products are being sold, the profit rather than the science may be driving any health claims.
Is the diet balanced? Diets highlighting only to eat a few foods only are unlikely to be balanced or healthy and may do damage overall.
If you remain unsure seek advice from a Dietitian.
It is essential to tell your cancer doctor, GP, key worker or Dietitian whether you are following a certain diet to enable them to help you understand and discuss any potential side effects.
Some of these diets can have a detrimental impact on your health and wellbeing. For example:
Drug interactions: The diet may interact with your cancer treatment or regular medications.
Nutritional deficiencies: The diet may be unbalanced and cause nutritional deficiencies.
Weight/muscle loss: The diet may result in unintentional weight loss and loss of muscle mass.