Today we’re talking about the benefits of exercise in childhood cancer patients. When it comes to fighting cancer, just about everyone has been touched in some way. If you haven’t had cancer yourself, there is a pretty good chance that someone close to you has. Childhood cancer is a bit rarer, but still far too common. Finding ways to help these children as they fight this disease is absolutely vital and many are finding benefits in some familiar places. Exercise is a huge benefit to cancer survivorship in general and for children in particular. A healthy, active lifestyle can do more to boost a child that has been through cancer than most anything.
Related reads about Childhood cancer:
- Could your hometown cause childhood cancer?
- How to help your child stay positive in the face of childhood cancer
- Financial assistance for childhood cancer patients
Here are some benefits of exercise in childhood cancer patients:
Exercise feels good
Exercise will boost endorphins and help a child with cancer to feel better. There are times, of course, when exercise is not a good thing. That goes without saying. Still, some well placed activity is going to make a kid feel fantastic! No child likes to lay around all day when they could be moving and boosting their mood. Make them feel even more excited about it by engaging in family fitness activities together.
Exercise can help with symptoms
Symptoms of childhood cancer vary all over the place depending on the type and place that the cancer is. Cancer can sometimes be very painful for the child. There are some exercises out there for specific situations that can help to ease some of those symptoms in children. Our bodies are naturally going to battle against the cancer and using exercise to boost those efforts is a good thing.
Studies are saying that exercise can help to avoid reoccurrence
Research is being done that shows exercise can help to boost the bodies immune system and fight against a recurrence of cancer. Cancer is not solved by any means but we are starting to find some things that work and don’t work. Exercise is clearly on the list of things that we need to encourage our children to do in any situation. There are few things out there that has that type of universal okay from the experts.
Working alongside your doctor can change your child’s outlook
When you team up with your doctor to come up with exercises that work for your child, you see their confidence rise. Hope is a powerful thing and can help power them through tough times. The last thing you want for your child to feel is defeated. Exercising is going to make them feel empowered, even when it is difficult. It is absolutely vital, however, that you do so with your doctor involved. There are things that can harm your child if you are not careful.
Childhood cancer patients are unique in that they are facing something that no child should face. Truly, no human being should ever go through what childhood cancer patients face. With cancer still unsolved in total, the best we can do is find ways to fight and stay positive. Keeping hope alive is the key and exercise can give a kid that little sliver of hope that they need in the darkest times.
Need ideas on how to get your child active and moving? Check out our fun family fitness ideas for the fall!
