Tips and Tricks to Start and Maintain Exercise

Disclaimer: You should discuss your health risks with your provider before starting any exercise program.

Starting and maintaining an exercise program is tough for everyone. Going through the cancer experience adds complexity to this process, but there are many “tricks” to increase your chances of beginning and continuing an exercise program during or after cancer treatments.

How Do I Get Started?

Set S.M.A.R.T goals

Make goals that are realistic given your present health and treatment plan.

S stands for specific.

Avoid broad goals such as “I’ll walk more this month.” Instead, be as specific as possible. "I will walk three times per week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday."

M stands for measurable.

When you look at a goal it should be easy and clear to indicate whether you’ve met the goal or not. Think of putting a checkbox with "Yes" or "No" next to the goal and ask yourself, "will it be clear if I’ve met this goal?" For example, exercise with friends. If you walked 1 day in the last month with friends, have you met the goal? Try something more measurable such as, I will walk with friends 1 time per week. You can create a chart or use an app to mark that you’ve met the goal for the week.

A means achievable.

Be realistic about what you can achieve given your present fitness levels and the intensity of your cancer treatments. Slow and steady wins the race, so set short goals that you can achieve given the circumstances of your current treatment plan.

R means relevant.

Your exercise goals should be meaningful for you. Why do you want to exercise? What specific benefits are you looking for? Is there something you want to achieve in a few months, like being able to walk with your grandkids at the shore? Do you want to be able to participate in a walk to raise money for cancer awareness? Write down the “why” of exercise and place it somewhere visible so that you can remind yourself of why you want to exercise, especially on those days when it’s hard to get motivated.

T means time.

Be sure to include a time component. Set frequent short-term goals on your way to meeting your long-term goal. Small achievements are important to inch your way towards your big goal! For example, I will walk once a week with friends for 30 minutes each time.  

Here are some more examples that are S.M.A.R.T.:

• I will use the stairs, not the elevator when I go for my treatment at the cancer center every other week.
• I will work in my garden for 10 minutes each day during the summer months.
• I will walk for 15 minutes every other day for the next two weeks.
  • After two weeks, set another goal! In weeks three and four, I will walk 20 minutes every other day for two weeks.
• I will play active games with my grandchildren two times each week.

Sit Less

Work to replace some of your sitting time with standing and movement. Take stock of how much you sit during the day. Count everything – sitting for meals, sitting while using a computer, driving to treatment sessions, etc. Once you’ve taken stock of how much you sit, make an effort to reduce your sitting time, creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal such as, “I will stand every 30 minutes while at my computer.”

You can also have technology remind you to get moving. There are plenty of apps that will send you a message to stand or move around such as “Stand Up” “Big Stretch Reminder,” or Workrave. Even small interruptions of standing for 2 minutes after a long bout of sitting may be beneficial for your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Refocus on your "why"

Revisit your SMART goals, especially the “why” part of exercising. If you’ve taken a break intentionally or unintentionally, give yourself some breathing room to rebuild. The cancer experience has periods of more energy and periods of lower energy, so be kind to yourself. Revise the intensity or duration of your exercise prescription, as you’ll have to start a little slower and build back up to where you were before this pause.

Learn a variety of exercises

Variety is the spice of life! People who perform different types of exercises are more likely to avoid boredom and keep up with their exercise plans.

Each exercise uses muscles in a particular way, so adding in variety increases the chances that you are exercising different muscles. Take a new class at the gym or try a community program. If you are uncertain about the class, see if they have lessons for beginners or free sessions that would enable you to try it out. There are also plenty of online exercise classes that you can take for free that are great to use, especially when your white blood cell count is low and you are at risk for infections. Building confidence with different exercises is an important part of building the habit of exercise into your life.

Problem solving around issues that may sidetrack your intentions to exercise

Make a list of reasons that you might not exercise and how you will deal with them.

Examples:

Determine a plan to “get back on the horse” if you’ve stopped for any reason

No one is perfect! There are times when we stop exercising for a variety of reasons, such as not feeling well, lack of time, competing interests, putting others' needs above our own, or difficulty with motivation. The important thing is to plan for this to happen (it’s not an if, it’s a when it will happen). 

Get support and create a routine

People who have exercise partners are more likely to stick with their program.

• Exercise with a friend or with family.
• If you have a caregiver (friend or spouse), exercise with them! Exercise has been shown to help manage the stress associated with caring for someone with cancer. You’ll also serve as exercise support for each other, providing accountability and motivation.
• Join an exercise program for people with cancer. It is important to be with people who know what you are going through.
  • Ask your cancer center about people who are trained in exercise for the person with cancer. You are more likely to stick with a program if you have higher self-confidence in your ability to perform exercise.  Self-confidence can be gained through the guidance of a knowledgeable exercise specialist with additional training in cancer rehabilitation.
  • Contact your local chapter of the American Cancer Society and ask about exercise programs. You can visit their website at: www.cancer.org.
  • Contact the Cancer Support Community for local exercise and support groups at https://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/
  • Contact the American Physical Therapy Association to find a physical therapist who knows about exercise, cancer, and cancer treatments. For PTs that specialize in oncology, visit https://aptaapps.apta.org//APTAPTDirectory/FindAPTDirectory.aspx
• Create a routine.
  • Schedule exercise into your day and try to be consistent.  It will feel awkward at first and you’ll miss some exercise days, but the more you attempt to be consistent, the easier it will become.

Be kind to yourself

It is okay to miss a few days of exercise. Don't punish yourself for a 'bad week.' Get back to your exercise as soon as you can.

• Please see Aerobic exercise program while getting treated for cancer.
• Please see Strengthening During and After Cancer.