How exercise reduces the worst side effects of chemo

CANCER IS AN ABNORMAL, RAPID CELL-DIVIDING DISEASE

Chemo is not a death sentence, but it can bring many side effects.

The purpose of chemotherapy is to kill fast-growing cells throughout your body.

However, normal, healthy, fast-growing cells can also be affected.

When normal cells are affected, side effects can occur.

Therefore, to make chemo tolerable and give you the ultimate chance of survival, it’s important to know:

Which side effects are most common
The severity of those side effects
How long the side effects last
How to properly strengthen weak cells affected by chemo

Before beginning your cancer treatment journey, it’s important to know a few things.

First, everyone responds differently to treatment.

You may not get every single side effect, and some people get very few.

Additionally, persistency (or how long the side effects last) varies on the type of side effect and from person to person.

Some side effects, such as nausea, can be fought off with your fork, others may require medication, and others can be resolved through movement.

It’s crucial to keep track of your side effects: what they are, when they start, and when they go away.

This is key to properly reinforce your body and take control of your life.

Lastly, lifestyle changes—either during or after treatment—can improve your survival, as exercise can reduce the worst side effects of chemotherapy.

There are ways to get back in shape and strengthen your body after chemo.

CHEMO AFFECTS YOUR BODY DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY

Direct side effects of chemo are due to the toxins killing both cancerous and healthy cells.

For example, red and white blood cells are fast-growing cells that chemo toxins can affect during treatment, and in turn, this can cause anemia or low immunity.

Directly-related side effects come in two main forms: those that are acute (happen while chemo is administered) and those that are late (happen after chemo is done).

On the other hand, indirect side effects are the symptoms you feel.

For example, loss of appetite or taste changes can lead you to eat less, and thus cause muscle loss, malnutrition, weakness, and tiredness.

DIRECTLY RELATED— two main types: acute and late effects.

Acute side effects start when chemo is being administered and typically end shortly after you finish chemo, such as hair loss, nausea, and loss of appetite.

However, the persistency (how long they take to go away) varies according to your age, gender, health status, dosage, and type of chemotherapy.

For example, fatigue is a common side effect that tends to linger even after chemo is done.

Other side effects, such as neuropathy (tingling or numbness on hands and feet), can take months or years to completely go away.

Other acute side effects can be with you long term, such as an arrhythmia.

Usually, long-term effects are less common but will only occur when there was damage to the heart, kidneys, bladder, lungs, or nervous system.

How exercise reduces the worst side effects of chemo

ACUTE (AFFECT IMMEDIATELY)

Hair loss/Skin changes/Easy bruising/ Body aches
Rapid aging/Reduced stamina/ Weakness/Fatigue
Changes in taste/Loss of appetite
Nausea/Vomiting/Constipation/ Diarrhea
Fertility problems
Anemia/Low immunity/Fevers/ Infections
Loss of: Memory/Concentration/Focus

While side effects can be unpleasant, they must be weighed against the need to kill the cancer cells.
Currently, there is only one form of medicine that can be administered with chemo and without the risk of side effects, while also killing cancer, and that is EXERCISE.

“When I started chemo, the nausea and and diarrhea were debilitating. So, I started nausea medication because I couldn’t go on my daily walks without feeling nauseous. But then I got dizzy instead. Now, I stopped the nausea medication, changed my diet and started my walks again. I no longer feel dizzy or nauseous, I have learned to walk daily, even when I don’t feel like it, and I’ve noticed a huge difference.”
— Non- Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer Survivor

Late effects, on the other hand, are chemotherapy side effects that appear later on in life.

These are more severe and are related to damage caused to the cells in your organs, particularly your heart.

Cardiotoxicity, is damage caused by cancer treatment to your heart, such as heart failure or inflammation.

These lasting side effects can be harder to manage, but prevention is key.

It doesn’t have to be an end-all and be-all method.

You have tools at your disposal to reduce and prevent many late-term side effects.

While life span has increased due to modern medicine, further studies show that recurrence risk still exists.

So, while chemo saves a life, it also increases risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer recurrence, but it does not have to be an all-or-nothing decision.

LATE-TERM (DELAYED SIDE EFFECTS)

Cancer recurrence
Heart failure
Heart inflammation
Artery stiffness
Corinary artery disease
Left ventricle dysfunction
Chemo brain
Muscle wasting

Your oncologist will give you the strongest dose that you can manage first to eliminate the cancer.

However, while conventional medicine has many life-saving properties, medication is not perfect and may come with a price for late-term side effects.

The number one way to reduce long-term side effects is by improving your exercise capacity because different exercises can reduce different side effects of chemotherapy.

Your exercise capacity is the number one predictor for survival and longevity.

Again, there is only one form of medicine that can help prevent long-term side effects without causing more side effects—EXERCISE.

“During chemo, I developed an arrhythmia—which affects me to this day. My heart rate will speed up out of nowhere 3-4x a day with no warning, even when I’m sitting. I am now medicated for my arrhythmia, but my cardiologist said the best thing that I can do now is to start exercising to help it not get worse.”
— Stage II Breast Cancer Survivor

B.INDIRECTLY RELATED side effects are those that are as a result of the symptoms you feel from chemo, but they are not a cause of chemo itself.

For example: loss of appetite or taste changes can lead you to eat less, and thus cause muscle loss, malnutrition, weakness, and tiredness.

Taste changes and appetite loss were due to the chemo—everything else was as a result of the initial side effects.

This is where learning appropriate lifestyle techniques can be extremely impactful.

INDIRECTLY-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS

Weight gain/Decrease in metabolism
Malnutrition
Insomnia/anxiety/stress
Muscle weakness/Muscle loss
Shortness of breath
Less stamina
Inflammation
Decrease in physical activity

Many side effects lower your self-esteem, affect your body image, cause more aches and pains, and can even make you feel like you can’t look at yourself in the mirror.

Whether it’s weight gain or severe muscle loss, it can be hard to have confidence in your body again.

TK is a young BC survivor in her 40s who previously loved to exercise, maintained her figure, and enjoyed being active.

However, after her kids were born, her life changed. It became harder and harder to take care of her figure and lose weight.

Once cancer hit, her body got “worse” (as she would say).

She gained 30 more pounds, slept all day, barely spent time with her kids, and hated looking at herself in the mirror.

She couldn’t recognize herself.

She felt weak, short of breath, and unable to keep up with life.

She was tired and fatigued, and sleep was non-existent.

Her fatigue caused her to sit all day, yet sitting brought on more pain, which didn’t let her sleep, and exaggerated her anxiety and mental strain.

She was stuck, being more fatigued, sedentary, gaining more weight, losing more strength, creating more aches, losing more sleep, and the endless cycle was driving her insane.

HERE’S HOW EXERCISE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE, AND STOP THE INSANITY

One of the best forms of exercise to treat and reduce chemo side effects is low-impact cardio, such as a brisk walk, shadow boxing, cycling on a stationary bike, golf, or even pickleball.

Research shows that side effects, such as bloating, body aches, fatigue, and even nausea, can all be reduced through getting enough cardio.

The type of exercise does not matter as much as the amount you complete throughout the week and the intensity at which you exercise.

The goal is to reach a moderate intensity for 150 minutes a week of cardio (tier 3).

Start with tier 1, and work your way up monthly until you reach tier 3.

When starting out, getting movement is the most important thing. It does not have to be intense.

Even starting out with 10 minutes a day of walking outside can help reduce many acute side effect.

Once you have a good rhythm going, increase your time and work towards getting slightly out of breath.

Focus on reaching a point that you can talk but not sing. You should be slightly out of breath during your daily dose of exercise.

Set a goal and see which tier you can hit, The more you do, the better you will feel.

“After my first cancer, I went back to my normal life as much as I could.
After it came back, I learned that I couldn’t keep living the way I was, and my lifestyle had to change.
I quickly learned I need to exercise and eat better to reduce the risk of it coming back again.
Now, I exercise daily during treatment to give myself the best chance for it to never come back again.”
— 2x Breast Cancer survivor

Exercise is a powerful tool to treat, improve, and reinforce your immunity, energy, and improve gut bacteria.

However, overall physical movement is also important.

Research shows that an increase in physical activity reduces cardiovascular disease risk and cancer recurrence.

The key is consistency and intensity.

Therefore, implementing a combination of both strength and cardio through different activities and achieving a daily step goal of at least 7,500 steps leads to well-rounded health.

But, there are a few things to consider first:

1) Structured balance between rest and activity.

Having structure to what exercises you will do on days you feel better vs. days you don’t is powerful. It gives you the ability to remain consistent regardless of how you feel.

Somedays, going for a 10 minute walk out and walking 10 minutes back is enough, while other days, you will find yourself working harder.

The balance between light and high intensities days is what helps give you peace of mind to know that you are in control of what you can control.

Make sure to work at a moderate intensity on days you feel better and low intensity on days you don’t.

Moderate intensity can be measured through your heart rate.

2) Pacing yourself to get the most out of you exercise with proper technique and maximizing your effort.

The reality is that on days the chemo fatigue hits hard, certain movements will make you more tired.

Therefore, it’s important to have a set of exercises for days you don’t feel best, get enough rest, and adequate protein.

Generally, great energy-saving exercises are more single arm or leg exercises.

In addition, more “rehab”- focused exercises can help work your muscles without exhausting them.

Go ahead and add in workouts that are single-arm focused or rehabbed-based on the days you don’t feel the best.

3)Prioritize essential movement

and postpone non-essential activity.

One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through scheduling activities that need to get done for times of peak energy.

When it comes it exercise, it’s not just about going to the gym or getting a good work out in, it’s also about using your time mindfully in ways that are meaningful to you.

This helps keep you motivated and active—giving you purpose through tough times.

This can include playing “Just Dance” or Twister with your kids or grandkids.

It could be going for a walk in the park as a family or playing kick ball in your back yard.

What matters is using movement in a way that’s meaningful to you at least once or twice a week.

Look at your calendar and see what days you get your energy back and what days you feel the most fatigue.

4) Using assisted devices (when needed) to help you train.

This is particularly important when surgery is involved.

For example, the use of Nordic poles after a hysterectomy is extremely important in order to get you back moving again.

Sometimes, after large abdominal surgeries, walking does not seem the same, and that’s normal.

Nordic poles are great to get your whole body moving while giving you balance and stability.

In cases of neuropathy, Nordic poles also help.

Choosing machines, such as a seated stationary bike, NuStep, or Recumbent cycle, will best keep you safe and minimize fall risk while improving your cardio and nervous system.

5) Explore healthy activities that distract from fatigue, such as music, reading, and socializing.

This may sound counter-intuitive to movement, but prioritizing learning about how to improve your health by reading articles or listening to music or podcasts can help rejuvenate your spirit and bring you peace of mind.

When your mind is at peace and you feel productive, it gives you a sense of control.

It helps you sleep better and internally restores your energy for the next day.

Exercise and movement is as much mental as it is spiritual and physical, and even getting daily steps helps.

Lastly, make a list of activities you enjoy that are non-fatigue producing.

FINALLY, KEEP YOUR DOCTOR INFORMED