4 Tips for Healthy Living After Cancer
When you fight one of the toughest battles of your life, getting back to a healthy lifestyle can feel near impossible. Your energy is low, your emotions are high and it can be difficult adjusting to your new way of life.
But healthy living after cancer is attainable, and below we list several ways to get your mind and body back on track.
Rehabilitation after cancer
Some cancer treatments can cause fatigue, pain and muscle weakness, and rehabilitation in the form of medicine or therapy can be a necessity. If you are experiencing difficulty talking or swallowing, pain, extreme weakness or fatigue, memory, concentration or muscular issues, you may want to seek rehabilitation services. Learn more about which services are available to you.
Planning for healthy living
Exercise, good nutrition and other healthy behaviors can be instrumental in helping your body heal and preventing future illnesses. Habits you can start implementing now include breathing exercises, gardening, eating plenty of fiber, meditating, writing in a journal, listening to music and much more. Read our full list of healthy habits here. Also, make sure to talk to your health care team about how to make a plan for healthy living.
Eating well after cancer
We wrote Heal Well: A Cancer Nutrition Guide with the American Institute for Cancer Research to help cancer warriors learn the do’s and don’t’s of healthy eating. This free guide is packed with helpful information including which food to eat during treatment, which dietary supplements to take and habits to form after treatment. You can read the full guide here.
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA
Since 2007 we’ve partnered with the YMCA of the USA to provide free or low cost exercise programs to cancer survivors across the country. This program is led by certified trainers who help survivors regain their strength and build muscle mass and confidence. To see if Livestrong at the YMCA is available in your city, search here.
4 Tips for Healthy Living After Cancer was originally published in Livestrong Voices on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.