# Why is exercise important for people with cancer? Exercise can be an important part of cancer treatment and recovery. It can help reduce fatigue, improve physical function and mobility, and improve quality of life, as well as help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast and colon cancer. Exercise can also help to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue, nausea, and muscle weakness, and help to improve physical function and quality of life for cancer survivors. Additionally, regular physical activity has been shown to improve cancer outcomes by reducing the risk of cancer recurrence and improving survival rates. # Matt's notes on exercise: It's tough to know where to start on exercise, not only because there are so many aspects to it, but also because everyone will be starting from vastly different places with it. I came into this cancer fight in pretty decent physical shape for a 54 year old. I walked a few kilometers daily, did yoga most days, and had a pretty active lifestyle. But the standard medical cancer treatments changed all that. Radiation and chemotherapy kicked my ass, to the point I dropped many of these good exercise habits altogether for a periods of time, when I couldn't even get out of bed. Add to that things like cold sensitivity from the IV chemo, and even leaving the house became hard. This was bad, because exercise is probably THE most effective tool in fighting any kind of disease. It's really that important, and I was getting none. I ended up losing about 35 lbs, most of it muscle. I looked terrible. So what I'm going to do here is share some of the tricks and hacks I used to get myself more active and regain strength and muscle. # Think fast and easy I'm not a 'work out in the gym for an hour' kind of guy. I need fast and easy things I can do whenever I'm inspired, or even better when I'm just going about my day. One of the first things I did was take an old rubber medicine ball we had and put it at the bottom of our stairs. I made a commitment that whenever I needed to go up or down those stairs, the ball would come with me.  It seemed a bit goofy in the beginning, and it was hard! I'd be panting by the top each time I was so out of shape and fatigued from the treatments. But I kept at it, and found it got easier and easier. That meant I was getting stronger! So I started lifting it over my head a few times each time I went up and down. Now me and that ball are like best friends. I can sling that thing around like it weighs 5 pounds, not 25! So I'd recommend going to a gym supply store or checking Craigslist for one of these. Make sure it's rubber or something flexible. This one is filled with sand, so it doesn't roll around, and I can drop it without damaging the floor (or breaking my toes!). ## Do 👉 Done The other thing I did that has been really effective is breaking down some key core movements into small bite sized chunks. For example, body weight squats are an amazing compound movement that work so many muscles. Pushups are good too. So what I did was create a target number of each of those that I wanted to do each day. Then I wrote that number of movements onto little post it notes, and put them on a piece of paper with "Do" on one side and "Done" on the other. My job—by the end of each day—was simply to move as many of those flags from one side to the other. Here's what it looks like:  "1 m hangs" refers to me hanging by my hands from a chin-up bar I've got in the living room. Just hanging is a great stretch and way to maintain strength in your arms. "Kb raises" refers to a kettle bell. We have one of those in the living room too, and I just lift the thing up any way I can 10 times. Some days all the flags make it over, but most days they don't. I don't get too down on myself about it, I just try my best every day to move as many flags as possible. As I've regained some of my strength, I've been able to get back into some very basic yoga and stretching which has felt amazing. If there was one type of exercise I would recommend to anyone regardless of age or fitness level, it would be yoga. Nothing works your body (or mind) quite like it.