Overcoming Cancer Fatigue Through Exercise: Comprehensive Guide
Exercise is currently the only “medication” you take to help you reduce cancer fatigue.
To what extent fatigue is reduced will vary, but the results are concrete.
Exercise is a remedy for cancer fatigue.
Living with cancer fatigue is tiresome.
And being expected to exercise to reduce fatigue sounds like a catch-22.
But in this guide, you will learn:
What cancer fatigue is and how to lower it
The most effective exercise strategies to lower cancer fatigue
Safety tips for exercising with cancer fatigue
Click on the image to know the top 3 habits to increase your energy.
Understanding Cancer-Related Fatigue
Oncologists previously thought that rest would cure cancer fatigue, and they would advise patients to rest, wait, and hope the fatigue would go away.
But, as you know as a cancer survivor, the fatigue doesn't go away.
To fight fatigue, you need to understand it first:
Cancer-related fatigue is not cured through rest
Cancer-related fatigue accumulates over time
All aspects of cancer treatment increase cancer fatigue
Cancer fatigue is mental, emotional, and physical
There is no current medication for cancer fatigue
Cancer-related fatigue is mental, physical, and emotional.
Cancer-related fatigue is different from normal tiredness, as it does not go away by taking a nap or taking some time off.
“During cancer related fatigue my mind says go, but my body says no”
It isn’t so simple. The human body is a delicate ecosystem, and when one part is distressed, many parts can become damaged.
The fatigue you experience from cancer and cancer treatment is a sign of ongoing damage.
Many studies have identified significant inflammation as a sign of cancer-related fatigue.
The more severe the inflammation, the higher the fatigue.
Exercise, on the other hand, is anti-inflammatory.
And as you exercise, your body releases an anti-inflammatory effect to help decrease fatigue.
Factors like stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and physical inactivity increase fatigue, as they increase inflammation.
That is why cancer fatigue reduction must include exercise.
If you want to reduce your fatigue, check out 101 Cancer-fighting workouts designed to fight fatigue and build up your resilience against cancer.
TIP FOR SUCCESS: Green space. Workout outside when you can. Green space exercise boosts your mind, body, and spirit. It could be the beach, a garden, open field, lake, pond, forest, swamp, mountain, or park. 10-15 minutes is more than enough .
Benefits of Exercise on Cancer Fatigue
There are 5 main ways exercises helps reduce fatigue
Boosts Energy Levels
Exercise increases circulation, oxygen delivery, and metabolism. It increases the use of energy in your body and helps you stay more active.
Muscular Endurance
Over time, it increases your muscular and cardiovascular endurance. The stronger your endurance is, the better you will be able to reduce fatigue, improve survival, and better your quality of life over time.
Enhances Mood
Exercise releases endorphins and neurotransmitters, which improve your well-being. It helps reduce mental stress and anxiety, both of which can increase fatigue.
Improves Quality of Sleep
Cancer fatigue is related to poor sleep pattern/quality. Lack of adequate sleep routine is a sign of severe fatigue. A consistent exercise routine helps you fall asleep faster and fall into deeper sleep.
Anti-inflammatory
Cancer fatigue is associated with high levels of inflammation so high that only appropriate exercise prescriptions can drop them.
TIP FOR SUCCESS: Warm up. Use the 10-minute rule as a warm up. A warm-up makes exercising easier. It increases circulation, your metabolism, and lubricating your joints before exercise. It can be light-to-moderate intensity cardio, lifting, or mobility work.
Exercise Guidelines for Managing Cancer Fatigue
Consider the following guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness:
Consult with Your Healthcare Team
Ask your doctor if moderate-intensity exercise is right for you.
Are there any exercises you should avoid?
Track Your Energy Cycle
During treatment, fatigue comes in waves. Patients often are able to recognize days of low, medium, and high energy, based on their treatment schedule. When you track your energy levels, you can adjust your exercise schedule according to your levels of energy.
Start with Low Intensity
Walking, stretching, yoga and/or mobility exercises are a great place to start. Increase your intensity from month to month.
Journal Your Experience
Pay attention to how your body responds to exercise.
Adjust your routine according to how your body feels.
Rest when needed and avoid overexertion.
Adjust Your Routine According to Your Energy Cycle
Low energy days: Light Intensity
Moderate energy days: Brisk walk
High energy days: High-intensity exercise
Practice the 10-minute rule
10-minute rule = exercise for 10 minutes. If you feel better, continue to exercise. If you feel bad or worse, stop and go rest.
Don’t force yourself to follow a strict routine. Stop when you need to.
TIP FOR SUCCESS: Rest: It’s ok to rest during your exercise. In fact, it’s better for you to rest between exercises. Rest reduces risk of injury but also allows you to gain more muscle and work out harder. 1-3 minutes of rest is more than enough. Use 5 minutes if the set was super hard or fatigue is extremely high. Take breaks: Rest breaks can help you stay active for longer.
Tailored Exercise Plans For Different Energy Levels
No Energy Days: Severe fatigue—you need to sleep or rest all day
10 - minute of green space walk. Walk outside with nature around you. Take breaks if you need to and repeat two times a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening or afternoon.
Engaging activity: Read, listen to a podcast, meditate, listen to music.
Low Energy Days: Have difficulty walking and doing activities around the house, such as cooking, cleaning, etc.
Gentle Stretching: Yoga and gentle stretches help increase circulation and reduce muscle tension.
10-minute outdoor walk: Can relax the body and calm the mind. Reducing mental and physical fatigue.
Moderate Energy Days: Able to do some activities either most of the day or more than half the day but still need some rest.
Brisk Walk: Quick walks (outdoors or on the treadmill) improve cardiovascular health and lowers fatigue.
Water Aerobics: Pool exercises reduce joint stress and increase anti-inflammatory effect.
High Energy Days: Able to do most—if not all—activities.
Interval Training: Follow a 3-4 :1 Ratio. 3-4 minutes of rest for every 1-min of high intensity. Building up your intensity on days you have the energy will lower the compounding effect of cancer fatigue.
Lift Weights: Challenge yourself to lift weights that make your muscles work.
Exercise can help with fatigue. But did you know you can lift weights after lymphedema as well? Click on the image to learn more.
TIP FOR SUCCESS: Stay Hydrated. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise to stay hydrated and support optimal bodily functions. Drinking enough water helps boost the energy in your work out by 10-20%. Working out dehydrated is much harder on your body. Focus on having 3 water bottles a day.
How To Be More Consistent And Stay Motivated
The best way to stay motivated is to stay consistent.
Consistency = Result = Motivation
To stay consistent, focus on:
Celebrating the small wins. Celebrate yourself for any amount of exercise you accomplish. Calling yourself pathetic for “only walking a mile” will not help you continue.
Set yourself up for success. Focus on achievable goals. Set yourself up for success—not failure. Instead of trying to do 5 days a week, shoot for 2. If you did 3, now you are an over-achiever. But if you planned for 5 and did 3, you 'failed.'
Pick an activity that you like. Leave the activities you don't enjoy as much for days you feel great. Instead, add in the movements and exercises you enjoy on low-energy days.
Track your progress. Track your reps, weight, sets, distance, and time. Tracking how you are doing will help you see results. Over time, you will see your strength and endurance increase.
Exercise with friends and family. Having a support network can help you work towards your goals.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Eat enough protein and carbs. Protein is what helps repair and build muscle after breaking down. Eating enough protein before and after will help you have the energy to exercise. The same is true for carbs. (NO - Sugar does not feed cancer). Eating enough will help you get the energy you need to exercise. Focus on eating 20-30g of protein in every meal.
Exercise is a vital component of managing cancer-related fatigue.
In order for exercise to help, you need to track it.
Track your exercise and fatigue.
Here is an example of the cancer fatigue tracker that I use with our online coaching clients to see how cancer fatigue improves over time.
Tracking your activity and the time you did that activity will help you see over the course of the week how your fatigue decreases over time.
Note: Track your fatigue by time, as your energy levels will shift throughout the day. This is help you track when you are able to get the most work done in the time periods where you have the most energy.
Seeing how you fatigue reduces with exercise will help you stay motivated over time.
But it is important to set realistic expectations and set proper goals.
For example:
A goal of exercising for 150 minutes in 1 week is not doable for most people.
But, if you properly plan your program to see small increments in progression over time, reaching 150 by the end of 1-2 months would be achievable.
However, the most important thing is that you are getting started with exercise.
By incorporating tailored exercise routines into your daily life, you can regain strength, reduce fatigue, and enhance your quality of life.
Chemo changes your body, and adjusting to a new routine can be challenging—especially after treatment ends because you have no one to guide you.
Learning to track is simple. But being consistent can be challenging.
However, the more consistent you are, the more progress you will see.
If you are ready to be consistent, have accountability and learn to exercise through cancer fatigue, join my 1-1 coaching.
You will get:
Ongoing access to me for any questions you have so that you can focus on healing and not worry about your health.
Monthly exercise plan that are safe and easy to implement after cancer so that you can feel comfortable exercising and never have to worry about what exercises to do.
Ongoing motivation so that you never have to feel like you are walking alone through cancer again.
If you are ready to start, click Apply for Coaching below.
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