Exercise and cancer Archives

Exercise and cancer Is exercise a part of cancer treatment?

June 5, 2026 Word for Word Media

Wendy Vermaak explains why exercise should be viewed as an essential part of cancer treatment.

Short on time? Listen to the audio version of this article here, or by using your favourite podcast player

What comes to mind when you think of cancer treatment? Is it chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, prosthetics and reconstruction, immunotherapy, or oral medication? These treatments play a vital role in recovery and cure, yet they often come with uncomfortable, unpleasant, or even painful side effects. However, a key area that should form part of standard care for cancer…

Exercise and cancer Bone health and fitness for treatment in older adults

April 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

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Dr Lara Greenstein and Dr Garrick Laudin highlight the key factors for caring for older adults with cancer.

People are living longer and are therefore more likely to live with cancer for longer or be diagnosed and treated at an older age. Cancer care isn’t solely about treating the malignancy itself, but rather caring about the whole person and ensuring that you’re fit enough to tolerate therapy and recover from side effects. Chronological age alone shouldn’t decide cancer treatment. Many older adults are strong and independent, while others have a reduced physiological reserve known as frailty. This means that an illness,…

Exercise and cancer Physical activity to manage CIPN

June 2, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Wendy Vermaak shares how specialised physical activity and balance training is seen as an effective management tool for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a holistic approach of a combination of medication and supplements, physical therapy, complementary therapies, and lifestyle changes. Although there is no cure, treatment focuses on managing symptoms and preventing further nerve damage. Physical activity has multiple benefits for treatment of CIPN, with little to no negative side effects. It’s also inexpensive and empowers you to have a…

Exercise and cancer Exercise – the great reboot

December 1, 2023 Word for Word Media

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Sandra Bollen-Hughes explains that exercise is the secret to the great reboot and will ultimately help with fatigue.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

It has always mystified me that when a technological item gives trouble, that sometimes the simple act of turning it off and turning it back on again can rectify a whole range of annoying malfunctions. I know I’m giving you all a quick glimpse into the foggy recesses of my brain where I try to process how computers actually work, but this one always…

Exercise and cancer Defining fitness and physical activity levels

March 24, 2022 Word for Word Media

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What does fitness mean to you? Biokineticist, Wendy Vermaak, explains the 12 principles of fitness to help you measure your fitness. There are many examples of what we would deem as fit and we often measure ourselves against that standard. If you are fighting a cancer diagnosis, undergoing treatment or recovering from treatment, your view of fitness might be more relevant to you at your current state as a person, as opposed to comparative to some elite athlete. Let’s compare different examples of fitness. For instance, would you say that a Comrades Marathon runner is fit? What about Arnold Schwarzenegger as a professional body builder?…

Exercise and cancer Physical activity as cancer prevention

September 30, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Physical activity as cancer prevention Dr Jacolene Kroff educates us on the underlying mechanism of how physical activity prevents cancer. The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee stated there is strong evidence that physical activity lowers the risk of colon-, breast-, kidney-, endometrium-, bladder-, stomach and oesophageal cancers.3 To understand the underlying mechanism of how physical activity prevents cancer, you need to know how cancer comes about. In all cells, the genetic make-up will determine how that cell will grow, develop and function within the body. However, in certain cases something can go wrong with the programming of the cell responsible for…