An Active, Healthier Lifestyle

Maintaining a physically active and healthy lifestyle has many benefits, including reducing the risk of cancer and other serious diseases. Despite the clear health benefits, many people do not maintain an active lifestyle, with about half of U.S. adults not meeting recommended physical activity guidelines.

To remain active and healthy, the American Cancer Society recommends that adults engage in 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (or a combination of both) per week. Activity should ideally be spread throughout the week. Alternatively, attaining or exceeding the upper limit of 300 minutes is optimal for cancer prevention. Children and adolescents should engage in at least one hour of moderate- or vigorous-intensity activity each day. When physical activity recommendations cannot be met due to chronic conditions or disabilities, people should engage in regular physical activity according to their abilities and avoid inactivity.

Multiple lifestyle choices can reduce cancer risk, including maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting alcohol consumption, and choosing not to smoke. Even when a person maintains an active lifestyle, smoking or chewing tobacco greatly increases their cancer risk.

Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention

Physical activity is defined as bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. This includes activity during leisure time, at work, and while performing household tasks. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity reduces the risk of developing many types of cancer, with the strongest evidence for cancer prevention in colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. Being physically active also reduces the risk of cancer recurrence in breast and colon cancer survivors. Physical activity may reduce cancer risk by:

Improving hormone levels
Improving insulin resistance
Reducing inflammation
Preventing obesity
Decreasing time for food to move through the digestive system
Improving immune system function

Aim for a Healthy Body Weight

The amount and intensity of physical activity a person requires to reach and maintain their optimal weight varies by individual. Regular, adequate amounts of physical activity or exercise combined with healthy eating will improve health and reduce disease risk. There is strong evidence that being overweight or obese increases the risk of multiple types of cancer.

Types of Exercise

Regular exercise can improve health, but there are multiple benefits to a combination of the types of exercise below:

Aerobic exercise or cardiovascular training burns calories as it improves cardiovascular fitness by raising the heart rate and breathing. It is recommended that each session should last for at least 10 minutes.

Strength training improves bone density, joint function, muscle mass, tendon and ligament strength, and basal metabolic rate. It can be accomplished with free weights, elastic bands, weight machines, or exercises using body weight. The American Cancer Society recommends that adults engage in muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week.

Flexibility or stretching exercises improve range of motion and help prevent injury. It is recommended that a person stretch after physical activity.

Moderate-Intensity versus Vigorous-Intensity

Moderate-intensity activity is the type of activity that raises a person's heart rate, causes light sweating, and increases the rate of breathing while the person can still maintain a conversation. A person's fitness level determines the intensity level for each activity. For example, walking on level ground at a brisk pace (about 3-4 miles per hour) is generally an example of moderate-intensity activity, but for a person who is not in good physical shape, brisk walking may be vigorous activity. Walking uphill, jogging, or running would likely be vigorous-intensity activities. Moderate physical activity can be accumulated throughout the day in shorter sessions or periods.

For moderate exercise, individuals may do the following:

Ballroom, folk, or line dancing
Bicycle riding on level terrain or with minimal hills
Canoeing
Gardening and yard work, including raking and bagging leaves
Golfing, pulling or carrying clubs
Hiking
Moderate-paced walking
Mowing the lawn
Pilates
Yoga

For vigorous exercise, individuals may do the following:

Aerobics
Basketball
HIIT
Jumping rope
Martial arts
Rowing
Running
Swimming
Weight Training

Those starting from a relatively inactive lifestyle should increase activity levels gradually instead of abruptly escalating their physical fitness routine to reduce risk of injuries. This could mean gradually increasing the level of exertion, number of reps, or duration of workout. People with physical limitations can meet with their physician or physical therapist to identify exercises and activities that will optimize their abilities. Lower-impact activities such as yoga, Pilates, and bodyweight-based exercise can be ideal for those with worn joints. For weight loss, gradual increase in exercise along with attention to caloric intake is required, particularly reducing unnecessary sugar calories. Even small changes that increase the average level of daily physical activity can lead to impressive cumulative health benefits.

Employ simple, creative strategies to increase activity levels:

Walk or ride a bike instead of taking a car.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
Walk and talk with people instead of sending emails or holding meetings.
Fit in a workout over lunchtime.
Plan physical activities on family vacations.
Get involved in a recreational team or physically active group.
Adopt a dog who will 'remind' you to go for walks.
Walk when making phone calls.
In the office, use an adjustable desk with the option to stand for part of the day.
Set a timer to get up and do a lap, to avoid sitting for prolonged periods during the workday.
Use a step counter and/or phone app to participate in 'adventure' challenges with friends or coworkers.
Meet a friend for a walk instead of brunch.
Set a family goal to visit local, state, and national parks regularly.
If work is sedentary, choose a physically active volunteer activity or hobby.
Try out new activities by taking an exercise class online or in person.

Sources: American Cancer Society, American Urological Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute

Cancer Facts