Healthy Behaviors: Detailed Information

Treatment for cancer can be very hard on your body. Living a healthy lifestyle is especially important for cancer survivors. Good nutrition, exercise and other healthy behaviors may help your body heal from the physical harm cancer and its treatment may have caused. If you think healthy behaviors may help you feel better during your survivorship, you might want to consider creating a self-care plan.

A self-care plan is something you can develop with members of your health care team. It provides practical ideas for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Everyone's self-care plan may include different diets and different activities. However, all self-care plans should include choices in daily activities that support a healthy lifestyle. A good self-care plan may improve your quality of life and may lower your risk for illnesses, including cancer and heart disease.

Four parts of a self-care plan are:

• Physical activity
• Nutritional recommendations
• Stress reduction
• Medical care

Each survivor is different and therefore each self-care plan is different. It's extremely important that you consult with your health care team and discuss your medical history when developing a self-care plan.

Some healthy behaviors that a self-care plan may include:

If you are living with a disability from cancer or its treatments, activities that promote wellness and health in your life after cancer may be totally different from what you did before cancer. Even with physical limitations, there are still things you can do to maximize your health. It may mean learning new ways to do the things you enjoy. You might want to consider discussing with your doctor ways to maximize your health and incorporate changes in your body into your self-care plan.

Who benefits from healthy behaviors?

Many cancer survivors find that they feel better if they incorporate healthy behaviors into their daily routine. It's important to remember that not everyone's healthy behaviors are going to be the same. Eating right for your health needs and including some exercise that relates to your recovery needs may improve how you feel. It may also reduce your risk for cancer and other major health problems.

Some of the major risk factors for cancer are:

• Not getting the nutrition your body needs
• Being overweight
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Using tobacco products
• Spending too much time in the sun without protection

A good self-care plan may help you avoid these risks. You should ask your health care team about your particular risk factors so you know what things you should avoid.

When are healthy behaviors important?

Even if you feel fine after your cancer treatment ends, you can still benefit from incorporating healthy behaviors into your daily routine. Survivors who experience physical changes like weakness or changes in their weight after cancer may be more likely to discuss healthy behaviors with their health care team. But all survivors can benefit from learning what healthy behaviors are good for them during their survivorship.

Healthy behaviors may help some survivors who experience:

• Weakness
• Loss of balance
• Fatigue
• Stiff muscles and joints
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Problems sleeping
• Restlessness

There is no guarantee that healthy behaviors will cure or prevent possible aftereffects from treatment. However, healthy behaviors may make you feel like you are doing as much as you can to improve how well you feel on a daily basis. If physical problems still affect you after you have been following your self-care plan for a while, there may be other treatment options that will help you. This doesn't mean you should stop having a self-care plan. It may mean that you and your health care team need to make some adjustments to your self-care plan or that you receive other medicines or treatments that become part of your self-care plan.

What are ways that survivors can incorporate healthy behaviors into their lifestyle?

Below is a brief list. For more information, see Suggestions.

• Talk to your health care team about what diet and exercise plan are best for your recovery needs
• Establish some long-term goals and also set realistic and specific short-term goals to include more healthy behaviors in your life
• Explore the different ways you can manage stress in your daily life

This document was produced in collaboration with:
Sue L. Frymark R/N/, B.S.
Executive Director: Cancer Care Resources

Healthy Behaviors: Suggestions

Talk to your health care team about what diet and exercise plan are best for your recovery needs:

You must discuss any changes in your diet or exercise plan with a member of your health care team before you start. You can, however, read about healthy behaviors and bring a list of questions and healthy behaviors you are thinking about to your next check-up appointment. Discuss what you learn from these resources with a member of your health care team, and see if they are accurate and provide helpful information for you during your survivorship.

• Write down what you eat and drink for a week, including any nutritional supplements and herbal products. Bring this information if you visit a nutritionist. Nutritionists can be found through a local hospital or care center. Many cancer centers now have nutritionists who can discuss your food choices with you. This may be a free service at your care center or local hospital.
• Before developing an exercise plan, discuss with your health care team what exercises, if any, would be good for you. After you understand what exercises are good for your recovery needs, you may want to consult either a physical therapist or a fitness expert at a local fitness center.

Establish some long-term goals and also set realistic and specific short-term goals to include more healthy behaviors in your life:

Once you start thinking about how to improve your level of stress, nutritional state and fitness level, you can feel overwhelmed, especially if you were not concerned about these issues prior to your cancer. It is important to be realistic. If you and your health care team decide that you should try to exercise more, you may want to start by just becoming more physically active throughout the day rather then resting. You can then begin to gradually increase your activity.

Your long-term goal may be to walk a mile in six months, but a short-term goal may be to walk a block within two weeks. Your short-term goals can be changed as you meet them in order to reach your long-term goals.

Explore the different ways you can manage stress in your daily life:

Some of these activities may help you manage stress:

• Walking around your neighborhood or a park
• Getting a massage
• Practicing breathing and relaxation techniques
• Practicing yoga
• Talking to friends and family
• Talking with a professional therapist
• Attending a support group
• Making time for hobbies and things you enjoy
• Asking for help with daily activities such as housework, errands, cooking
• Writing in a journal
• Listening to music
• Reading
• Watching your favorite TV show or movie