Being active: Information for people who are undergoing or have finished their cancer treatment : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

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Physical activity can:

There are three types of physical activity:

Cardio exercise burns calories and is good for your heart.
Aim to do 30 minutes of cardio exercise a day, five days a week.
You can split it up into smaller amounts, such as 10-minute sessions, three times a day.
You should make moderate effort so that you feel warm and your heart rate and breathing rate increase. But you should still be able to have a conversation.
Examples of cardio exercise include walking, housework or gardening.

Strengthening exercise is any activity that makes your muscles work harder.
These exercises help to keep your muscles, joints and bones strong.
They will help you to be as independent as possible during and after treatment. For example, they can help you to maintain bone strength if you’re having hormone treatment, and build muscle if you’ve lost weight.
Having more muscle helps to burn calories, even while resting.
You should do strengthening exercises at least two days a week.
Strengthening exercises include carrying heavy bags, yoga and light weight training.

Doing balance exercises can improve your coordination and help you to avoid falls.
You should do balance exercises two days a week.
Dancing and tai chi are types of balance exercise.
You can also improve your balance by standing on one foot, then swapping to the other. Try to gradually increase the time you do this for. If you feel unsteady, hold on to something for extra support.

The amount of physical activity that is right for you will depend on:

If you’re unsure how much physical activity you can manage:

Start doing 10 minutes a day, for five days.
If you don’t have any problems, increase to 12 or 13 minutes a day the following week, also for five days.
Continue to increase the daily amount by about two or three minutes each week until you’re doing 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Adapt the intensity to your current treatment or symptoms.

If you experience side effects of your cancer treatment, this may affect your ability to be physically active. For example:

If your platelets are low, check with your medical team what activities are safe to do. Especially if the activity puts a lot of pressure on your joints.
If you’re neutropenic and have a low level of white blood cells, avoid exercising in a public place or in a swimming pool.
If you have a PICC, be careful when doing repetitive exercises or using weights on the arm where the PICC is.
If you have bone cancer, avoid contact sports or exercises that put pressure on the affected area.
Speak to your healthcare team if you are worried about any side effects you have. Or if you are thinking about starting any new physical activity.
For further advice, ask a member of your medical team to refer you to the physiotherapy service.

Wear suitable clothing and footwear when you are doing physical activity.
Drink plenty of water both before and after doing physical activity so you don’t get dehydrated.
Eat about one to two hours before exercise and about 30 minutes after finishing.
Do not exercise if you feel unwell.
It’s important to warm up before exercise and cool down afterwards. This prepares your heart, lungs and muscles, and will reduce the risk of muscle soreness and injury.
You can warm up and cool down by doing the activity slower and at a lower intensity.
Stop if you have any sudden or unusual symptoms, like dizziness, chest pain or breathing problems.

Build up gradually and split activity in to 10-minute intervals.
Do something you enjoy, try something new and mix it up!
Add physical activity in to your daily routine, like climbing stairs or doing housework.
Set yourself a goal – this can help you to keep focused.
Reward yourself for completing the goal.
Keep a diary of your activity.

Remember...
Any physical activity is better than none. Research now shows that doing even two minutes a day can make a small difference.

Visit the following websites:

NHS Live Well: nhs.uk/live-well
NHS fitness studio: nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio
Local council website for information about classes in your area.
Visit our health and wellbeing resources web page: uclh.nhs.uk/msis_hwb
Visit be.macmillan.org.uk to order the Macmillan Cancer Support booklet Physical activity and cancer.
Ask your GP to refer you to a local exercise-on-referral scheme.