How to exercise when cancer fatigue hits
Hundreds of studies have shown the benefit of exercise on cancer prevention, reducing treatment side effects, lowering cancer recurrence risk, and slowing cancer cell growth.
While exercise has been demonstrated to have many benefits, fatigue is the biggest barrier preventing many cancer survivors from exercising.
Many struggle with cancer fatigue and are looking for ways to reduce cancer fatigue.
The most important step to take is setting up an effective plan to help fight off cancer fatigue.
Setting up an effective plan
Exercise has been shown to help reduce cancer fatigue, but the key to getting these benefits is to set up an effective plan for your body to properly fight off the disease.
The single most important step to setting up a plan is to work within your your rhythms of energy.
Every day and every week, your energy levels will change, but despite the change, it’s important to take time to look at your calendar and figure out how many days a week you can devote to exercise.
During cancer treatment, you usually know the rhythm of which days fatigue hits the hardest and what days the fatigue starts to slowly go away.
It won’t happen exactly the same every week, but it will give you an idea of what days would be best for you to exercise.
Once you know what days are available, determine the minimum and maximum amount of time each available day would allow you to exercise. This can be as low as 10-15 mins or as high as an hour.
The goal is to set up a minimum for days you don’t feel well and a maximum for days you feel fantastic.
Taking advantage of the days your feel well to get a great work out in will help you on days where you don’t feel the best.
After you have your time and days set, work on your consistency and shoot for a minimum of 3-4 days a week. You can do more than the minimum amount of time, but never less.
Treat this like a doctors appointment or a business meeting that you can’t miss.
If you are consistent by the 4th week, you will start to see benefits. Remember, exercise is not a one-hit wonder. It takes time and consistency to get the benefits you want.
And the more you work, the better results you will get. A good way to know if you have been consistent is to measure your success by the “rule of 3’s” (a minimum of 30 mins 3 days a week for the next 3 months).
Most of the benefits you are after will occur within 12 weeks, but your consistency is important in order to make these results happen.
After the 3 months, if you haven’t fully seen all the benefits you want, then it is time to increase the intensity.
80% of people will see benefits in 3 months. The other 20 % will not, and this is only due to needing a higher amount of exercise or a greater intensity.
So, don’t give up if you don’t see the full benefits in 3 months.
Work on improving your physical strength
Combatting cancer fatigue requires building strength. But reserve your strengthening exercises on the days you feel most optimal.
Strength is what makes your day-to-day easier. The stronger you are, the more you are able to do without getting as tired.
When you start strength training, some minimal soreness will occur. Soreness is not a bad thing; it is an indication of “newness” to the body. The more often you do a motion, the less sore you will get.
If you want to “ Regain Muscle Strength After Chemo,” there are a few key elements you must follow to see the benefits you desire:
How many reps to do?
You can build strength between 3-30 reps and anywhere between 1-4 sets. However, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, the exercise guidelines for cancer survivors recommends working between 6-15 reps and 1-3 sets.
There is nothing magical about these numbers, as you can build strength with any number of repetitions,
However, from a practical standpoint, no one wants to perform 30 repetitions of one exercise when you can do 6 and get the same benefit. The first thing to determine is a weight that you manage for 6-15 reps.
What weight should I use?
If you choose an exercise that allows you to only do 4 reps, then the weight or movement is too hard and will require supervision for proper form and technique.
On the other hand, if you can do a lot more than 15 reps, it’s way too easy.
So, first see if you can do at least 4 reps; if you can go to 8, do you feel a slight burn? Great. Stop. You found the right exercise.
Stop at the slight burn to minimize soreness. Could you have done more? Yes. But you got the muscle working between 6-15 reps, so that’s perfect.
Even you didn’t feel the slight burn until 10 or 12, that’s ok because you still would be within the correct rep range.
How many sets are needed?
Start with one set, and see how your body feels before you decide to jump into three sets.
A set is a group of repetitions of the exercise and can be separated with short or long rest periods, depending on the exercise.
When starting out, one set lets your body know “Hey, look! We got some movement! Great.” With two sets, your body may tell you “Ok, I had to work a little but feeling good”, and if you jump into three sets too soon, your body will tell you “Ouch” quickly, and soreness will kick in.
So, be mindful to start slowly, and build your way up. The goal is to work your way up to three sets. Keep in mind, however, that this progression is not meant to be accomplished by the end of the week.
It should take a minimum of 6-8 weeks, depending on the exercise, to work your way up to three sets. While three sets are a great goal, keep in mind, two sets are the sweet spot when done properly.
Make sure to hit the right intensity
The right intensity is imperative to your exercise success. Here’s why: particularly for cancer survivors, the amount of tiredness the exercise produces in your body is not always indicative to how hard the exercise truly is for you or how many repetitions you can actually do.
Let me explain.
After working with thousands of cancer survivors online, I have found that on days they feel good, the exercise can be pushed a lot more, but on days the fatigue is stronger (even though nothing has changed), the exercise can feel easier but produce more tiredness.
So, how hard or how easy an exercise is for you today is not always reflective of how tiresome it will feel at a different time.
So, don’t be alarmed if one day you can do it and the next day you struggle.
Take advantage of the days you feel better and work within a somewhat-moderate to somewhat-hard range.
Measure your tiredness.
“Rate of perceived exertion” is a scale used to rate how hard YOU feel you are working.
Whether you feel great or not during your work outs, it’s always good to know how hard YOU perceive the exercise to be.
The goal of each work out is to work out within an RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) of 4-7.
In general, the higher the RPE, the more sore you will be, and the more benefits you will get.
However, you do not need to work at an RPE of 8, 9, or 10 to see benefits.
In fact, staying within RPE of 4-7 or even 3-5 when getting started will be enough to stimulate strength without discouraging you from continuing.
How much rest do I need, and how many days should I rest my muscles before I can workout again?
Rest is extremely important.
Another way to help reduce cancer fatigue is to give yourself enough rest (24-48 hours) before working the same muscle group, as well as enough rest between sets.
So, when working out, try to give yourself 30 seconds rest if the exercise was easy and more than 1 minute if it felt moderate.
You can do this by using a timer to keep track of your rest and setting up a calendar to make sure you get enough rest between muscle groups.
This is essential, especially for those who are just starting out.
When it comes to rest and exercise selection, rest is a big component in reaching the benefits you want.
Many times, it can be easy to fall into a mentality that you need to work as hard as you can in every second that you have during your work outs.
Such a mentality may be great if you are in a time crunch, but if you are a cancer survivor, taking your time to rest between sets and sometimes even within the work outs will give you a better work out, less fatigue, and better long term results.
When it comes to rest between work outs, it’s important to give your body enough rest before working out the same muscle group. You can still exercise the day after, but you would want to exercise a different muscle.
So, for example, if you are looking to work out your legs three times a week, then you would want to have 24-48 hours of rest in between repeating the same muscle group.
This gives your body enough time to recover. On the other hand, when it comes to your actual work out and the focus is to build strength, the goal is to rest 30s if it was easy and >1 min if it was somewhat hard or moderate.
Strength is about improving your muscle fibers and your nervous system, and in order for them to improve, you need to give them enough time to “reset” and adjust.
When giving your body rest, try setting a timer between work outs or setting the date you want to exercise in order to make sure you get the most out of your work outs without getting distracted (on your phone, in a conversation, etc.)
Lastly, your rest is what determines how many days a week you need to exercise.
When it comes to exercising the same muscle groups, 2-3x per week is the max you should try to reach in order to give your body enough rest for the same workout/muscle group.
How to be consistent with exercise when fatigue hits
On days you don’t feel well and the cancer fatigue seems to hit harder, there are different ways to structure you work outs so you can still get a work out in and improve your energy.
For starters, you can start with a 10 min walk. On days when fatigue is tough, just focus either on getting in a 10 min walk or reaching 7,000 steps a day.
Giving yourself a minimal cardio will will help get you up and moving.
Remember: physical inactivity increases fatigue. The more you move the more, energy you will get in return.
But, in general, on days you don’t feel well, learning to prioritize recovery is key.
Recovery is more than just getting 7 hours of sleep (which can seem impossible when cancer strikes).
It's also about getting enough calories, hydration, and macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats).
Track your water intake, and shoot for 3 water bottles a day. Even the simple act of hydrating enough can boost your exercise by 10% during a lift and 20% during cardio, making your exercise feel better. Try to reach 3 bottles of water a day.
Walk. Do a 10 min walk, and get a 30 min nap in after.
Finally, take time to stretch and release some pain and tension that lying down or sitting can bring on your body. Stretching is a way to stay active daily without exerting too much energy and keeping your body healthy.
You'd be amazed at how one good 10-15 minutes of stretching could reduce body aches, stiffness, and cramping. Take some time for yourself on days off to just stretch.
Focus on stretching your full body and taking 15 seconds per limb (repeating it twice), and work your way up to a full 30 second stretch in each position.
Please remember: when stretching, you should be shooting for mild discomfort - not pain.
Isolate exercises and use cluster sets
Isolating exercises are movements that work one muscle group at a time; you can work one arm at a time or one leg at a time (for example - a dumbbell bicep curl or a single leg hamstring curl).
By using single movements at a time, you decrease the amount of energy you use per exercise.
Don't get me wrong, exercises that involve multiple muscle groups, such as squats, dead lifts, and pull downs are incredibly great for strength but can produce more fatigue since they challenge your nervous system.
So keep those for days you feel the best.
Cluster sets are incredible for cancer survivors.
A cluster set is a set that's broken down into several mini-sets, with short rest periods between them.
For example, doing 3 reps of an exercise, resting 30 seconds, and then repeating that 2 more times is one set.
This is incredibly effective for ovarian cancer and lung cancer patients to reduce shortness of breath. This sounds like a lot to be doing, but it's a way to do more reps without the fatigue.
Time to take action
You don’t need motivation.
You need a plan, accountability, and direction.
You need to set up your mind, body, and environment for success.
set reminders on your phone
keep your workout clothes visible and commit to putting them on.
let tiredness and stress be your cue to go work out
mentally commit to working out as a non-negotiable in your day
There are a lot of little steps and habits you can do to set yourself up for success.
You just need to do it.
Waiting on motivation is the killer of dreams. Consistent action and discipline is what will help you reach your goals.
Treat exercise like anything else in life because it’s part of what gives you life. You need to take consistent action, and consistent action gives result.
Results then will bring you the motivation you are after. If you don’t know what to do for a work out, then start off with cardio.
You don’t need to lift weights, do HIIT, or perform fancy work outs.
Just yet.
Cardio is the greatest determinant of your health and life span.
It’s ok to take workouts in seasons.
But set yourself up for success by keeping it simple for now, as you are starting.
If you go outside, try to get a little out of breath, and if you are on the treadmill, put the speed between 2.8-3.4 mph for a brisk walk.
Increase the incline as that speed becomes easier.
Stretch your legs and back afterwards, and you will feel brand new.
Staying motivated when fatigue hits
Once you are done working out, make it a habit to create habits that help you stay motivated.
For example:
journal about how you feel after working out. So you can read it on days you don’t feel like working out.
ask a friend to join you next time, so you have someone to keep you accountable.
share your success with someone, so you can feel proud of yourself for making it to your work out today.
Fuel your body and eat the right diet. Research shows that a there are foods which can help reduce cancer fatigue
Setting your environment to make you successful and getting people to support you and encourage you is a big part of staying consistent and motivated.
Lastly, mentally commit to consistency.
For the best results, set a commitment goal of 12 weeks.
It takes at minimum 12 weeks to see good results. Your body needs time to adapt to improve to get better.
You will see and feel your body get stronger before you see inches off your waist and toning coming back again.
The more consistent you are, the longer you will have results, and the more results you will have. Oh, and by the way, you only need 2-3 days of this a week, so I believe in you! You can do it!
If you want to learn more click here to get more information on how we can help you exercise through cancer.
