HEALTH & FITNESS with Patrick Harris of Les Mills
Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention
Most people know someone close to them who has had the devastating news of being diagnosed with cancer. It is indiscriminate, takes no prisoners and will adversely change families and futures dramatically.
An active balanced lifestyle will contribute to changes that may help prevent breast, colon and other specific cancers. If diagnosed with cancer an active person will, I believe, be in a better place both physically and mentally to deal with it.
The benefits of a physically active lifestyle go far beyond lowering cancer risk though. They include lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis (bone thinning). The following are some simple guidelines recommended by the ACS (American Cancer Society). Go to http://www.cancer.org/index for an in-depth breakdown of these guidelines.
Maintain a healthy weight throughout life
Balance calorie intake with physical activity. Avoid excessive weight gain throughout life. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight if currently overweight or obese
Adopt a physically active lifestyle
Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, above usual activities, on 5 or more days of the week; 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity are preferable.
Eat a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant sources
Choose foods and beverages in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Eat 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
Choose whole grains over processed (refined) grains and sugars.
Limit intake of processed meats and red meats.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit your intake
Limit your alcohol intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink a day for women. The recommended limit is lower for women because of their smaller body size and slower breakdown of alcohol. A drink is defined as 300mls of beer, 125mls of wine, or 40mls of 80-proof distilled spirits.
Adhering to these guidelines will not guarantee one not being diagnosed with cancer.
Over the years I have seen many healthy individuals fall at the hands of various types of cancer. I have experienced this more than once and again recently. These people have been active, ate healthy and seemed to be doing all the right things. How can that be? All I know is cancers do not just suddenly “appear”.
At the time of diagnosis cancers may have been present and developing for as long as 10 years. Technology is not sufficiently advanced enough to be able to detect cancers at early onset so it’s a good idea to make the title of this article a priority in your life.
We may talk about it and posture to how we might handle it but to tell you the truth you will never know unless you are faced with the brutal reality of being diagnosed yourself.
I believe that someone who lives these qualities daily will be far more “body aware” and will know when something is not right. My advice is that if you feel the slightest change or irritation to your wellbeing do not mess around and get it checked out. The time it takes you to respond could be the difference to being a survivor and seeing your children grow up.
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