Exercise is Medicine

Cancer care waiting rooms are a place where we sit and wait a lot. When I've been with a friend or family member, it gives me a rare opportunity to talk to them about how I'm doing, what I've been doing to help myself, and what I plan to do.

One of the most common topics that I overhear people talking about is exercise, and the confusion around whether it is a good idea or not. There seem to be a dichotomy in thought: exercise is good (and we need to do as much as possible) and exercise is bad (because it's important to "rest up"). There is just so much conflicting information out there. It really is just so difficult to make heads or tails of it.

As an Exercise Physiologist who has specialised in cancer management, the simple truth is that exercise is medicine. The challenge lies in determining what is the right type of exercise, the right intensity, the right duration and the right frequency at any point in time in our healing journey. For this reason, it is so important to surround ourselves with the right people, who can give us the right information and support at the right time.

What is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist?

Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEP) (the term used here in Australia) have completed many years of university study. With further specialist study in cancer, they understand the complexities of cancer and can tailor make an exercise prescription that safely enables you to reach your personal goals at any stage, and on any day of your healing journey.

What Should I Expect When I Visit an Accredited Exercise Physiologist?

When you see an AEP who specialises in exercise medicine in cancer management, they will likely take you through the following recommended process. This process forms part of recent The Exercise and Sports Science Australia position statement: Exercise medicine in cancer management.

So as you can see, there's a bit involved. An AEP who specialises in cancer care is an essential member of your health care team, so ask your doctor, cancer care coordinator, or your national exercise science association for a referral. Hopefully, your hospital or treatment centre will have an AEP on staff. If not, a place to start looking is the Exercise and Sports Science Australia [ESSA] (if you are in Australia). If you have private health insurance, you may be covered for AEP services. If you don't, I would greatly encourage you to consider this investment in your health anyway.

Parting Thoughts

If I have one recommendation, I would say to leave exercise prescription to the specialists. This is one topic where there is so much information out there - both the good, the bad and the down right dangerous! Furthermore, there is so much research on this topic happening right now, that it is just about impossible to keep up to date with it. Besides, the time you save from not researching on the computer can be spent actually doing some exercise.

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HEALING ENVIRONMENTS

External Behavioural Interpersonal Internal

Healing Spaces Healthy Lifestyle Healing Organisations Personal Wholeness Ecological Sustainability Integrative Care Healing Relationships Healing Intention

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