Top 3 habits to increase your energy after cancer
Clinical guidelines recommend hospitals and oncologists work to treat and manage cancer fatigue, but up to 50% of cancer survivors report never discussing, getting advice, or even receiving desired help to reduce fatigue during their cancer care.
And 20-30% of all cancer warriors still feel fatigued 5-15 years after being diagnosed with cancer.
Comments like:
“It has been one and a half years since treatment ended, and I still feel awful, weak, sick, and fatigued.”
are very common.
However, it doesn’t have to be.
You can speed up your recovery process after being diagnosed with cancer by:
Doing activities that boost your energy
Refueling your energy after chemo.
That being said,
1) Always talk to your oncology-certified dietician before applying any nutritional advice, as this is general and not specific to your needs.
2) Never take any supplements without talking to an oncology-certified dietician or your physician.
3) There is no such things as eating a “cancer diet” or “fatigue-reducing diet.” Rather, research shows that certain eating patterns have been shown to be helpful.
1. Focus on boosting the energy in your cells
The single, most effective way to improve your energy and give your body the energy it needs is to boost the mitochondria (powerhouse of the cell) in your body.
And research shows that a great way to do this is to implement a challenging brisk walk daily.
“ Walking is almost magical for me. Even when I don’t want to, I do it, and my body feels so much better after”
Implementing a brisk walk to your day is a great way to start training your body to increase your energy.
By establishing a brisk walk daily, you are strengthening your cells to increase the number of mitochondria they have.
Challenging your body to a brisk walk daily helps improve your fitness, and the more “fit” you are, the better your cells are at producing energy.
Does it have to be a brisk walk?
The form of cardio you choose doesn’t have to be a brisk walk.
It can be any form of cardio.
Cardio is any repetitive activity designed to improve your fitness that gets you breathing a little harder and increases your heart rate.
You can choose one or a combination of the following to help improve your fitness:
Water aerobics
Zumba
Roller blading
Nustep
A recumbent bike
Cardio boxing
Crossfit
Elliptical
Jogging
Hiking
The goal is to choose activities that are accessible to you, you enjoy, and you can consistently do.
For example: if you have issues walking, a seated aerobic exercise would be a great place to start.
Or, if you are more advanced, you could do cardio boxing to increase your energy after cancer.
How much cardio do I need to speed up my recovery after cancer?
The specific recommendations for cancer warriors is to reach either 150 mins of moderate-intensity cardio a week or 75 mins of high-intensity cardio a week.
Moderate-intensity exercise should make you breathe heavily but not so heavy that you can’t carry on a conversation.
150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise can be broken down to 22 minutes per day 7 days a week or 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week.
High-intensity exercise, on the other hand, is where you can answer a question during exercise with only 1-2 words.
The exercise intensity in this case would be so high you couldn’t hold a conversation.
This can be broken down to 15 minutes per day 5 days per week or 3 days of 25 mins workouts.
Generally, the more intense the exercise, the less you need.
So, instead of 150 minutes, your body only requires 75 minutes of high intensity each week.
For details on how to get started, check out How To Improve Your Stamina After Cancer.
2. Eat a fatigue reducing diet
As important as it is to increase your energy, it is equally important to learn how to reduce your fatigue.
Much of cancer fatigue is thought to be related to high levels of inflammation.
Now, there isn’t just one specific diet to reduce inflammation, but what you eat can either add inflammation or reduce it.
Foods and drinks like:
Alcohol
Processed food
Fried food
Sugary drinks
Processed meats
All increase the inflammation in your body.
So, learning to substitute foods in your diet with anti-inflammatory food is critical for a speedy recovery.
Research shows that cancer survivors who change their diets to foods high in:
Fiber
Polyphenols
Omega-3 fatty acids
Vitamin C
experience reductions in fatigue.
What to eat to reduce fatigue
In general, foods that have been shown to help reduce cancer fatigue include:
Fruits and veggies high in vitamin C
Red, yellow, green, orange fruits and vegetables
Leafy green vegetables
Healthy fats
Whole grains
That being said,
1) Always talk to your oncology-certified dietician before applying any nutritional advice, as this is general and not specific to your needs.
2) There is no such thing as eating a “cancer diet” or “fatigue-reducing diet”. Rather, research shows, that certain eating patterns are helpful.
For more details on a fatigue reduction diet, check out What To Eat For Cancer Fatigue.
When it comes to fruits, you can eat any, but focusing on fruits high in vitamin C content has been shown to reduce fatigue
Great fruit sources for vitamin C include:
oranges
kiwi
lemon
grapefruit
strawberries
In addition to fruits, colorful veggies will also help provide you with fiber and reductions in inflammation.
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Colorful veggies such as:
red- tomatoes, peppers
yellows- summer squash, sweet corn
orange- carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes
green- kale, spinach, collared greens, arugula
Are great foundations for a healthy meal.
Keep in mind, this is not medical advice but rather general nutritional guidance so you are better prepared and can have a conversation with a licensed dietician.
Always talk to your oncology-certified dietician before applying any nutritional advice, as this is general and not specific to your needs.
Stay away from white carbs and unhealthy fats for a speedy recovery
Getting 3 servings of whole grains a day (not white grains) has been shown to reduce cancer fatigue.
Keep in mind, a serving of whole grains is 1/2 cup. So, a cup would be considered 2 servings.
The key is to look for 1 gram of fiber per 10 calories of whole grains.
While eating more white and processed carbs has been related to higher levels of fatigue, whole grains and fiber have been shown to reduce fatigue:
Oats
Whole grain pasta
Whole grain bread
Also, stay away from “made with whole grain”; this is just a marketing health claim, but it is still processed.
Now when it comes to healthy fats, focus on foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as:
Nuts
Avocados
Salmon
Cod
seeds
One serving of omega-3 fats is helpful in reducing inflammation during cancer.
One serving is about 4 ounces of oily fish, like salmon, cod, etc., or 1/4 cup of nuts or seeds, like walnuts or flaxseeds.
This is higher in calories, so be mindful to look at the food labels for proper serving sizes.
Lastly, when it comes to nutrition, your body may need more than just a healthy eating pattern of foods high in fiber, polyphenols, omega-3 fatty, and vitamin C to reduce fatigue.
You may also need more calories and more proteins or less calories and more proteins.
What you need is often determined on how your body handled treatment.
For example, many cancer patients have lost deadly amounts of muscle mass (if that’s you, check out 8 ways to put on healthy weight), while others have drastically gained weight (if that’s you, check out the 3 most essential steps to start your healthy fat loss process).
So, choose what you need to improve your health.
Always talk to your dietician before applying any advice, as this is not medical advice but rather general nutritional guidance.
3. Restoring your energy
By definition, fatigue is tiredness that still occurs even after a good night’s rest.
However, many cancer survivors have difficulty:
falling asleep
maintaining sleep
waking up too early
with excessive daytime sleepiness.
And research shows that cancer affects your body by disrupting your body's “biological clock”, which affects your mood, sleep, and inflammation.
While sleep does not directly reduce fatigue, getting better sleep has been shown to lower your stress hormones and inflammation, while improving mental clarity and immune function.
Such benefits help you get more done in the day.
Imagine going through your day with a better mood, without forgetting things, and making clearer decisions daily.
You would inevitably be able to get more done.
Improving your nighttime routine and working on your sleep helps to refuel your body to get more done.
While sleep does not eliminate fatigue, it has been shown that better sleep does cause less fatigue and more energy during the day.
So, focus on improving your energy by:
creating a nighttime routine
avoiding alcohol
avoiding caffeine after 3 pm
reading before bed
setting up either white or brown noise
using aromatherapy and journaling
listening to music
Your sleep is crucial for pain reduction and reducing mental and emotional fatigue.
Sleep might be the most challenging out of the three, but if you can, meet with a psychiatrist or sleep doctor to help improve your sleep.
In Conclusion
1) To create more energy remember, “motion continues in motion.” Get up and get moving to help improve your energy.
The more you sit, the more you will be tired.
2) Eat what helps fuel your body and tastes good in order to reduce inflammation.
3) Time for rest is time you should be asleep. Don’t feel ashamed for taking a nap, but be strategic when taking them. Naps are great for restoring your body after moving and eating.
The truth is that if you wait for your body to “passively” or “naturally” get energy back, you might be waiting a long time.
Much of cancer fatigue is either directly or indirectly related to the toxins in the body.
So, the goal is to decrease inflammation through what you eat, how you move, and when you rest.
But by focusing on your exercise routine, nutrition, and sleep, you tremendously improve your body.
