Primary Food - Physical Activity

“The body heals eight times faster when you exercise regularly” - Kris Carr

The Benefits of Exercise

A balanced diet is essential for a happy, healthy life, but without regular exercise, no amount of kale or quinoa will make up for the lack of movement. Just like certain foods protect us from heart disease, cancer and diabetes, regular physical activity has incredible benefits too. Without exercise, it’s hard to reach your full physical and mental potential.

  • controls weight

  • improves quality sleep

  • reduces osteoporosis

  • reduces joint stress and pain

  • improves heart health and decreases existing damage

  • decreases inflammation

  • improves immune function

  • improve insulin sensitivity

  • increases energy and reduces risk of depression, anxiety, and stress

Physical activity is associated with 12%- 21% reduced risk of breast cancer. Hormone receptor positive breast cancer is the most sensitive to the benefits of regular moderate exercise, however, triple negative breast cancer requires intense physical activity to reduce the risk. (References - Bernstein, 2005; Hoffman, 1989; Ma, 2016)

It’s important to remember that bio-individuality is queen and no one form of exercise will work for everybody. Some people do better with gentle, centering exercise, while others require vigorous activity. Experiment with walking, running, biking, swimming, yoga, pilates, dancing and simple strengths exercises like planks and squats. When you find what works for you , you’ll be more likely to do it consistently and reap the benefits, including increased energy, improved mental clarity, optimal digestive health, and better mood.

Exercise for Breast Cancer Survivors

Physical activity improves immunity and reduces insulin resistance, fat, inflammation, and estrogen - all of which increase the risk of reoccurrence. Research and evidence shows us that exercise after diagnosis improves overall survival. A controlled trial of revealed that aerobic and resistance exercise during adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival. These effect were most profound in obese patients with hormone receptor positive, HER 2 positive and stages II-III (reference Courneya, 2014) A study with 12,000 patients (ages 30-55) showed that post diagnosis exercise decreases mortality by 34%-40%, especially in ER+ patients. Exercise is an essential part of prevention, healing and surviving. It is an important part of limiting toxicities and late effects of treatment, such as decreasing fatigue and lymphedema.

So what’s the secret to a successful and consistent exercise routine? Accountability! Whether you rely on a friend, family member, trainer, or simply your own will power to keep you in check, having a goal system to track your progress is crucial.

Record each time you exercise and how you feel, then check in with yourself once a week. Don’t forget to honor your great work with self-care - a massage, long walk, or watching your favorite TV show guilt free during the rest of your day.

Acknowledge all the types of exercise that you do. Don’t feel like yoga is a workout? It is! Feel like you need to fun 10 miles to make it count? Actually, less than one mile in, your endorphins are already soaring. Once you find what works for you and start noticing all the benefits you’re gaining, exercise will be second nature and your body will thank you for it.

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