How can physical activity help prevent cancer?

Family ExerciseThe benefits of increasing the amount of physical activity we do are well documented and include weight management, reduced stress and can even help prevent some types of cancer to name just a few. In fact: according to cancer research UK, an increase in physical activity could prevent over 3000 cases of cancer in the UK every year! These stats are something we discuss regularly during our personal trainer courses and exercise referral qualifications.

Although we are all well aware that physical activity and exercise can help improve our health and wellbeing, the amount of physical activity we do as a nation is steadily decreasing. There are a number of reasons for this which includes technology (less need for manual work etc.) and the perceived hardship of physical activity.
  1. Managing Hormones. Excessive levels of estrogen in women are linked to increased cases of breast cancer.
  2. Insulin Management: Physical activity also helps manage insulin. Insulin is responsible for cells multiplying in all types of tissue, which if out of control causes many different forms of cancer.
  3. Weight Management. Individuals who are classed as obese are more likely to develop several different types of cancer according to the NHS and Cancer Research UK.
  4. Reduced Inflammation: Physical activity helps reduce the amount of inflammation in the bowl and gut. It also helps improve the transportation of waste products through the digestive system. This helps reduce the likelihood of bowl cancer by ultimately reducing the amount of time which the bowl is exposed to the food and toxins which it may contain e.g. alcohol and pesticides etc.
  5. Improved nutrition: Increasing the amount of exercise and physical activity clients do on a regular basis also improves their eating habits. It has been reported several times that when individuals adopt a more active and healthier lifestyle they also improve their nutrition, making better choices more regularly. This will reduce the likelihood of developing cancer as foods high in Trans fats and those which contain huge amounts of processed foods are far more likely to cause cancer than what eating non refined natural and wholesome foods like fruit and green vegetables would.
For more information on cancer prevention through improved lifestyle we recommend you head over to the Cancer Research UK website and also the NHS homepage. Alternatively, if you are a health professional and you’d like to improve your knowledge and ability to work with special populations then we highly recommend our Exercise Referral qualification which has received excellent reviews and testimonials by several past customers.

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