Too few cancer survivors change lifestyle habits
April 2008
That’s Fit: Filed under: Fitness, Food and Nutrition, Healthy Habits
It’s important for everyone to have an active, healthy lifestyle. For those who have beat cancer, it’s possibly even more important. More than 10 million Americans have survived the disease — but the impact it had on their health puts them at higher risk for conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and a reduced quality of life… not to mention the risk of cancer recurrence.
Exercise, eating healthfully, and not smoking can help counteract that increased risk. But, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), too few cancer survivors adopt a healthier lifestyle. Though approximately 75% of cancer survivors do stop smoking, the ACS isn’t seeing as good of an improvement with healthy eating and physical activity.
The ACS recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day (at least five days a week) and a diet that includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Less than 48% of survivors are meeting the exercise requirements and less than 20% are eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments