Keeping physically active is an important part of prehabilitation.
Not only that, it can increase your energy levels, which helps with sleep and fatigue. It boosts overall fitness and strength.
It can also help you to stay independent and do the things that matter most to you. It can help to speed up your recovery and prepare you both physically and mentally for treatment.
Exercise recommendations
Aerobic activity is physical activity that causes you to become breathless and find it difficult to talk. You may be sweating and feel your heart beating faster. Examples of aerobic activity include walking, running, or cycling.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has recommendations on physical activity. The DHSC advises that healthy adults do one of the following every week:
- At least 2 ½ hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity activity a week. This means that the activity causes you to breathe deeper and faster, but you can still talk. Your heart may be beating faster but not racing.
OR
- At least 1 ¼ hours (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. This means that the activity causes you to breathe very hard, so that you cannot have a conversation. Your heart will be beating very fast.
OR
- At least 1 ¼ hours (75 minutes) using a combination of both moderate and vigorous activity.
Recommendations are the same for all ages, but the guidelines recommend that if you have not been active for a while, a little activity is better than no activity at all. This includes doing some very light activity. Light activity means that you can talk and breathe easily at the same time.
As well as doing a certain amount of activity, the DHSC also recommends that you try to carry out activities that improve muscle strength on at least 2 days of the week.
Please remember that all sessions should start and finish with stretching.
Classes, videos and other resources
Live Well with Cancer, North Tyneside, hold weekly yoga and movement classes.
Visit www.
My Wellbeing Space has been designed for patients by patients.
It includes information on being physically active - Physical Activity « My Wellbeing Space (mywellbeingspacenca.nhs.uk)
NHS Better Health gives advice on how to get more active, home workout videos, Active 10 and couch to 5K apps and other information.- Get active - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Prehab4Cancer and Recovery Programme is a free exercise, nutrition and wellbeing scheme based in Greater Manchester.
It has been designed to help people with a recent diagnosis of cancer prepare for, and cope better with their treatment.
Their YouTube channel has a playlist of exercise videos and workouts - Prehab4Cancer - YouTube
Please consult a healthcare professional involved in your care if you have any concerns regarding activities or exercises in these films. When undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, you may be given specific advice on which activities you may or may not do while undergoing treatment, and it is important to follow this advice.
Pilates is a low-impact exercise comprising of controlled movements that enhance your balance, core strength, mobility, flexibility and can even help improve your mood.
Below is a series of 6 videos of Pilates workouts with Sarah.
Please be mindful not to push yourself too hard. Patients should obtain consent from their medical or nursing team to undertake these sessions post-surgery/treatment.
Sarahs Star is based in North Tyneside. They offer a range of physical activity classes. This includes armchair warriors, a seated low impact exercise class, hula hooping or gentle Pilates.
For more information, visit Sarah's Star – Shining through the dark times (sarahs-star.org)
Natalie takes you through some simple toe tapping routines designed to get your feet moving.
Standing
Sitting
We Are Undefeatable has a variety of physical activities you can do whatever your ability - standing, needing some support or armchair activities. For more, visit www.
Five in Five
Start building small amounts of daily activity in your day with the Five in Five booklet. A five-minute mini-workout designed for people with long-term health conditions - Five in Five - We Are Undefeatable
Freedom to Move with Bill Bailey
3 easy to follow videos that show you the free ways you can stay active, at home, whatever your ability - Freedom To Move - We Are Undefeatable
Move to your Mood with Gok Wan
3 different physical activity routines to get you moving whatever mood you’re feeling - Move To Your Mood - We Are Undefeatable
Please be mindful not to push yourself too hard. Patients should obtain consent from their medical or nursing team to undertake these sessions post surgery/treatment.
Yoga can be physically and emotionally supportive after a cancer diagnosis. Some people with cancer say yoga helps calm their mind so they can cope better with their illness. Others say it helps to reduce symptoms and side effects such as pain, tiredness, sleep problems and depression.
As with many other types of complementary therapy, one of the main reasons that people with cancer practice yoga is because it makes them feel good.
Yoga is an ancient form of exercise for the body and the mind. It is a whole-body/mind philosophy that started more than 5,000 years ago in India. The main form of yoga known in the west today is Hatha yoga, which encompasses other forms of physical-based yoga.
Postures (asanas), breathing techniques, mantras, meditation and relaxation are all parts of modern-day Hatha yoga practice which aim to improve strength, mobility, flexibility and breathing. Hatha yoga also aims to create harmony between your mind, body and spirit to help you feel calmer and yoga teachers promote it as a natural way to help you relax and cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
Yoga can sometimes help you to move around more quickly and easily after surgery for cancer (although it is recommended you wait at least 4 weeks and get permission from your team to participate).
The physical and psychological benefits of yoga:
- An increase in mobility, flexibility and balance
- Can improve sleep
- Reduces inflammation (which can help with pain)
- Increases digestion
- Relieves fatigue
- Calms the mind which can help with stress management, low mood, depression and anxiety
- Lifts mood and enhances general wellbeing
- Natural way to relax
There are local yoga classes designed for those with a cancer diagnosis in mind, including ones taking place (free of charge) at
You can access sessions recorded by the Royal Marsden hospital to try at home here - https://