Cancer Prevention comes down to a Will to Exercise – Nothing more, Nothing Less
Anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis for oneself or for a loved one never forgets the moment they discover it. They keep going back to wonder if there’s something they could have done that could of made a difference. There actually are quite a few things that can prevent cancer quite effectively. Cancer isn’t something you’re destined to have most of the time. There are all kinds of ways in which you could take control into your own hands. Exercise, for instance, happens to be one of the most powerful cancer prevention weapons ever – especially breast cancer and colon cancer. If you feel that it couldn’t be any use taking up exercise if you’ve put it off for far too long, that’s hardly the way to think about it. Exercise helps in delaying the onset of cancer no matter when you start.
But you probably need a little more information about the cancer prevention abilities of exercise before you actually can work up some enthusiasm for a workout. Here we go.
Let’s start with cancer of the lining of the uterus – the endometrium. Women who are at risk of endometrial cancer will find that they can cut down their risk by a full third with just 20 minutes of exercise a day. That’s what the Yale School of Public Health says. Exercise this way for long enough and bring your body mass index down below 25, and you lower your level of risk by 75%. That’s cancer prevention for you at no cost.
As far as preventable cancers go, the colon and rectum offer themselves up to be protected far more easily than almost any other form of cancer. All you need is to have no more than one drink a day, give up smoking, get that waistline under 35 inches if you are a woman (you get an extra 5 inches if you are a man) and exercise 30 minutes a day. That’s what the British Medical Journal says. Who would want to argue with that?
Women who have a history of breast cancer in the family get so freaked out by the kind of risk they face that they sometimes go get preemptive mastectomies. That’s right, they go in and ask for surgery to remove their breasts even before they have breast cancer. That’s how worried they are. There could be a much better way though – all they would have to do would be to exercise 20 minutes a day in a vigorous fashion and make sure that they drop any unhealthy lifestyle habits. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve put it off. If you are 65 and you have really been taking it easy sitting in front of the TV for about five years, you still could really help your chances getting on that treadmill 20 minutes every day.
There’s just no reason to sit there worrying about cancer anymore. You have the power of cancer prevention in your hands.
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Robert S. is a contributing writer who has many interests including home services, self improvement, building web sites and more! You can see his articles on Air Duct Cleaning Toronto and Self Improvement 101.
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