EasyFit collaborates with various organizations, such as Finnish cancer organizations. How does a serious illness affect physical activity, and how can physical activity benefit the illness and the recovery process?
Exercise Makes You Feel Good
When a serious illness, accident, or trauma occurs, the body goes through a lot. Mental resilience is also put to the test, and taking care of one’s own well-being or staying active isn’t the first thing on one’s mind.
When you’re struggling with an illness or trauma, exercise can make you feel better, improve your well-being, strengthen your body, lift your spirits, and create positive sensations in your body. Exercise can also be a crucial factor in your recovery and in getting back to your normal routines.
Doctors often recommend exercise to aid recovery from illness. To start with, just a daily walk around the block may be enough. It’s not a good idea to stay completely bedridden, because when you lie still, your strength begins to decline rapidly and your mobility decreases. Pain can even worsen or new pain can develop when the body lacks movement. After a few weeks, muscle mass also begins to decrease. The risk of blood clots increases significantly after just three days of bed rest and inactivity.
Exercise also affects the immune system. Regular exercise boosts the immune system. Endurance exercise in particular, but also strength training, has positive effects on the immune system. The body’s overall metabolism and digestion benefit from exercise.
If you have the opportunity to participate in rehabilitation or rehabilitation courses, you should take advantage of it. Rehabilitation courses often include a variety of physical activities, such as gym workouts, water aerobics, outdoor activities, and body maintenance. In rehabilitation, you can start exercising in a safe environment alongside others in similar situations.
The Insidious Cancer
There are many different types of cancer, and even more treatments available for them. Cancer treatments include, for example, surgery, chemotherapy (i.e., cytostatics), radiation therapy, and medication, each of which places a tremendous strain on the body.
You’ll often receive instructions from the hospital’s physical therapist on how to recover from surgery—what not to do, and what you should do, even if you’re feeling a little under the weather. Depending on the type of surgery, physical therapy may play a major role in your recovery.
There are also many different types of chemotherapy, but their main purpose is to destroy fast-growing cancer cells in the body. However, chemotherapy affects the entire body, causing, for example, hair loss, nausea, and stomach problems. During treatment, one’s physical condition may deteriorate significantly. The body usually recovers from chemotherapy within a few months, though.
Don't hesitate to ask for help
When you’re returning to the gym after an illness or injury, you can also talk to a personal trainer about resuming your workouts. During a free exercise consultation, you can go over with a personal trainer the things you should keep in mind when returning to your workouts. This guidance provides peace of mind as you resume training, and the personal trainer can take your specific needs into account when designing your workouts and program.
When returning to exercise, it’s especially important to listen to your body. Exercise should not increase pain, but rather reduce it. It’s a good idea to ask your doctor for permission to exercise, just to be safe, if you have any doubts about continuing to exercise or exercising while you’re sick. You should also start exercising cautiously, especially if you’ve had a long break or if your body has changed as a result of an illness or injury.
The benefits of exercise, for example, when dealing with cancer:
- improve aerobic fitness
- improve quality of life and self-image
- improve physical functioning
- has a beneficial effect on bone health
- reduce fatigue
- improve muscle strength and endurance
- increases joint mobility
- reduce anxiety
- reduce the risk of developing cancer
- prevents and reduces the side effects of cancer treatments
- is likely to improve cancer survival
- increase the proportion of patients who complete their planned chemotherapy
Sources:
UKK Institute: Exercise Reduces the Risk of Cancer
All About Cancer: Cancer Surgery