It has been shown that adapted exercise programs can help people with cancer better handle the disease and treatment side effects. This is why the Quebec Cancer Foundation was the first organization to develop and offer a kinesiology program for its clients.
 
At all the Foundation’s regional centres, kinesiologists provide free, personalized programs tailored to each person’s condition. The health benefits of exercise are numerous and recognized by the medical community: more energy, fewer treatment side effects, better stress and anxiety management, to name a few.
 
A new study* conducted by a team at McGill University among 116 patients with colorectal cancer found that a program combining exercise, relaxation techniques and nutritional supplements (whey protein) was also beneficial when getting ready for surgery. The patients in the study group who followed the recommendations for four weeks recovered better from the operation, which is known to involve a long, difficult convalescence.
 
If you have just been diagnosed with cancer, you can come and meet a kinesiologist at the Foundation for an evaluation of your physical fitness and a personal plan that includes exercises and other healthy lifestyle tips. The program will help you better cope with your surgery, recovery and cancer treatments.
 
References:
Michel DONGOIS, Préadaptation plutôt que réadaptation : le CUSM innove en oncologie, [Online], 2016, www.professionsante.ca
 
*Brian CHEN et coll, Four-week prehabilitation program is sufficient to modify exercise behaviors and improve preoperative functional walking capacity in patients with colorectal cancer, Supportive Care in Cancer.