Tap Into Exercise for Colon Cancer Prevention
There are lots of ways to tackle colon cancer prevention. Along with regular colon cancer screening, eating right, and maintaining a healthy body weight, regular exercise is an important part of every colon cancer prevention plan.
What Does Exercise Have to Do with Colon Cancer?
It seems as if everybody knows that regular exercise is a cornerstone of heart disease prevention; regular sweat sessions keep your ticker strong. However, many people don’t understand that these very same sweat sessions are vital to a healthy colon, too. It’s true: Study after study supports this connection between regular physical activity and reduced risk of colon cancer.
How Much Exercise Is Enough for Colon Cancer Prevention?
The great thing about exercise for reducing colon cancer risk is that you don’t have to run a marathon to get the benefits. Simply taking a brisk, 30-45 minute walk is enough. Aim for a minimum of five days each week.
As for the pace, brisk means that you break a little sweat and you can carry on a conversation while walking, but it takes some effort to do so. If you’re easily chatting, you’re not walking quite fast enough.
If you just aren’t into walking, any physical activity will do:
- Hit around a tennis or racquet ball.
- Shoot some hoops.
- Take a dip and swim some laps, or try water aerobics.
- Pedal around your neighborhood with your kids. You set a great example and you get some exercise in the process!
- Try that new piece of cardio equipment at the gym.
The key is to break a sweat for a minimum of 30 minutes 5-7 days a week.
Many non-exercisers find it tough getting past the "hard part" of establishing an exercise routine. It is harder to exercise than not, at first. But over time, you’ll find that you feel worse when you don’t exercise! It may seem like a chore now, but with regular practice, exercise will be a pleasure, not a punishment.
Sources
American Cancer Society. Cancer Prevention. Accessed: January 30, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_1.asp
American Cancer Society. Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment. Accessed: January 30, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/mbc/content/MBC_6_2x_FAQ_Nutrition_and_Physical_Activity.asp
American Cancer Society. Prevention & Detection Programs. Accessed January 30, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_1_4.asp
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