Staying Healthy and Active After Cancer

The other day I got an email from someone who asked if he could write a guest post on my blog. Trevor Bradshaw (trevorsendeavors@gmail.com) is an aspiring writer, a health nut, and brother to a cancer survivor and is very passionate about writing about cancer and health. Read on to hear what he has to say about staying healthy. This is good advice not only for cancer recovery, but for cancer prevention!

For many people, a cancer diagnosis can be a life changing experience. While chemotherapy can be effective at treating many types of cancer, lifestyle can have a significant impact on the body's ability to heal and recover.

It's important maintain a healthy style before, during, and after cancer. Diet has a significant impact on overall health. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to lower the risk of cancer in many people, and will help during the recovery process. It's important to watch one's weight, as obesity can impact the immune system's ability to heal the body.

There are several simple diet tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid eating foods with refined sugars and carbohydrates, such as white bread, potatoes, candy, and soda. Many processed meats and cheeses contain high levels of nitrates, preservatives that can cause systemic inflammation in the body. Diets rich in meat and cheese can also cause inflammation, which will reduce the body's ability to heal. It's important to include omega-3 fatty acids in a diet. Omega-3 can be found in fish, nuts, and flax seed.

Exercise is essential after a cancer diagnosis. An active lifestyle offers many health benefits to cancer survivors, and can improve recovery time. Exercise doesn't have to be complicated: a 30 minute walk outdoors is a great way to start. There are many low impact physical activities that are great for cancer patients. Swimming can be a great way exercise and tone the entire body, without putting excessive stress on joints or tendons.

Yoga is a great way for cancer patients and survivors to stay healthy and relaxed. Yoga is a type of meditation, combined with physical poses. Yoga is designed to stretch and exercise the entire body, without putting excessive strain on any individual part. Many yoga classes teach students how to relax through breathing exercises, and can show cancer patients and survivors how to relax.

Exercise releases natural painkillers, called endorphins. During cancer treatment and chemotherapy, many patients may experience systemic pain throughout the body. Exercise can help lower pain without the use of dangerous analgesics.

In addition, exercise can be a great way to beat depression. Cancer can be a scary experience, and it's important to maintain a positive attitude during recovery. Exercise can improve mood, improve recovery time, lower pain. While cancer does require medical treatment, maintaining a healthy life can help recovery times and prevent recurrence.

Mesothelioma Cancer Awareness

Don't know what Mesothelioma cancer is? Check out http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog.

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I must say, I'm more aware of breast cancer than ever. There are all sorts of efforts going on. Even examiner.com is having a drive and asked us to write about breast cancer awareness in our topic area. (Since I'm the dating adviser, I came up with some date ideas!)

However, there are other, lesser-known cancers that don't get nearly the same kind of visibility. As a result of my last post about Race for the Cure, David Haas contacted me and asked me about being a guest blogger on my blog about Mesothelioma Cancer. He said:

I recently have been researching and writing about how beneficial cancer support networks and also staying physically fit is to people going through treatments, in remission, and even family members of cancer patients.

To be honest, I hadn't even heard of Mesothelioma Cancer until I checked out the site David referred me to: http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog This cancer is a result of exposure to asbestos and it's deadly.

David is a guest blogger for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Their blog and site provides inspiration and information for researchers, bloggers, survivors and advocates that cover all different kinds of cancer and topics.

Though I told him my site is probably not the best avenue for cancer topics, I was happy to write a post to help get the word out.

This is just one more instance of how social media can change our world. I'm glad those who are living with cancer have places they can go for inspiration and support. And we can all do our part, at the very least, by letting others know what's out there. It's very easy if you're a blogger or have a social media network to spread the word. It can be as simple as a ReTweet!

So please help spread the word to visit http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog

By the way, the Komen Race for the Cure was incredible! Huge crowds wearing pink and running in support of such a worthy cause. And I am so proud of my friend, Rebecca Ritter, a survivor who raised over $2500 for the cause!