How To Exercise When You Have Breast Cancer

Exercise cuts your odds of getting cancer or a recurrence. Try this simple workout as part of your treatment plan.

If you've gone through breast cancer surgery and treatment, working out is probably the last thing you feel like doing. In fact, as recently as 15 years ago, doctors actually would have discouraged you from exercising during and after treatment. But today the reasons to lace up a pair of sneakers are indisputable: Exercise can halve your risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to the Harvard Nurses' Health Study, and women who exercise are 50% more likely to survive breast cancer than those who don't work out.

What makes exercise such a potent breast cancer weapon?

To get breast cancer, you need a mutated cell--a cell you've inherited or one that's been damaged by radiation, a virus, or another carcinogen—and a local environment that's encouraging the cells to grow," says Susan Love, MD, a leading authority on the disease. Because exercise naturally decreases levels of inflammation, reduces stress and helps you maintain a healthy weight, it changes your body chemistry, creating a less hospitable environment for cancer to grow. In fact, being active during your lifetime can reduce your risk of breast cancer by about 23%, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

How Exercise Helps Cancer Recovery
Working out can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer, but if you do develop the disease, different types of exercise can also improve your recovery. Try these tested and proven suggestions for integrating fitness into your treatment plan every step of the way.

During Treatment: Stay Energized
Breaking a sweat boosts energy, emotional resilience, and physical strength--all of which you need during breast cancer treatment. One German study found that a group of cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy who exercised daily for 30 minutes felt significantly less fatigue than those who didn't work out. They also experienced less fear and anxiety. And a study from Copenhagen found that a combination of cardio and strength training boosted energy in chemo patients. Any type of exercise can help. Just listen to your body and go at your own pace.

Immediately After Treatment: Stay Flexible
It's the removal of lymph nodes during a lumpectomy or mastectomy—not the excision of breast tissue—that's usually the source of post-op pain. You may be tempted to take a break until this underarm tenderness dissipates, but don't: Stiffness and a loss of range of motion can result if you don't commit to a stretching routine soon after surgery.

Here, three exercises created by Doreen Puglisi, an exercise physiologist, breast cancer survivor, and founder of the Pink Ribbon Program, a Pilates-based post-op exercise program. Starting 1 week after surgery, do the moves every other day or daily for best results.

Months After Treatment: Stay Strong
Progressive weight training for the arms, chest, and back will allow you to regain your pretreatment strength and ease the symptoms of lymphedema—a painful swelling in the arm that can occur after lymph node removal by up to 70%. Perform these moves with 1-or 2-pound weights, suggests Janette Poppenberg, the creator of the DVD Strength & Courage: Exercises for Breast Cancer Survivors. If you have lymphedema, wear a compression arm sleeve.