It is conventionally believed that cancer patients should keep inactive and rest in bed as much as possible. However, Experts hold that proper exercise helps patients recover from cancer.
Exercise brings many benefits, including cheering up from depression, improving cardiovascular strength, alleviating fatigue, and improving immunity. Among various exercising options, walking is the safest and most economical one.
Oncologists, in collaboration with sports medicine experts, launched a research program that was aimed to explore the association of walking with cancer recovery. The participants who had received surgery or chemotherapy were asked to walk daily and increase their walking steps.
In the program, the participants grew a strong interest in walking and their physical health gradually improved. After 6 weeks of walking, patients gained confidence and no longer suffered from depression. Besides, patients walked further and faster than before.
It was observed that patients’ blood circulation function improved to varying degrees and walking helped the recovery of cancer patients.
But, how many minutes one should walk per day to get this benefit? The study conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey and King’s College London indicated that cancer patients can improve their quality of life with just 30 minutes of walking.
The study showed that patients with advanced cancer, walking for at least 30 minutes on alternate days, had an improvement in physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing.
