Fitness Program Benefits Mind and Body
in Cancer Survivors

 

A community-based, small-group strength and fitness program significantly improves physical and psychological functioning in cancer survivors, in both the short- and the long-term, new research suggests. In a study presented at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 32nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions, Matthew Buman, PhD, Stanford University, California, and colleagues found that all psychological measures, including rated fitness, vitality, perceived stress, and fatigue, improved 12 to 16 weeks after the intervention.

The availability of exercise programs designed specifically for cancer survivors is still limited, and those that do exist are often housed within cancer treatment centers. Still, there are many options for getting these types of programs to cancer survivors. For example, programs for cancer survivors can be offered through community fitness centers, such as YMCAs, as was done in Buman and colleagues' study.

Exercise programs can also be offered by cancer treatment centers. Programs in cancer centers can be a very effective approach and can be promoted and disseminated by cancer organizations, such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, as well as cancer advocacy groups.

Full article on Medscape…

 

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