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Reduce Cancer Risk by Increasing Activity Level

American Cancer Society Offers Online exercise Program

May 6, 2009 Alex Strauss

Increasing your level of physical activity can do more than make you look and feel better. Evidence suggests it can also reduce your risk of all types of cancer.

While it has long been known that physical activity reduces one’s risk of heart disease, a survey by the American Cancer Society indicates that as many as 34 percent of people don't realize that physical activity can also reduce the risk of cancer.

According to the ACS, nearly one out of every three US cancer deaths each year is related to weight, nutrition and physical activity factors. But a lower risk of death is not the only reason to get off the couch. Evidence also suggests that people who live active lifestyles have more energy, fewer physical complaints and cope with stress better than their sedentary peers.

Get Active

As a result of these sobering statistics, the American Cancer Society has launched an online toolbox of support and education aimed at helping participants safely set and meet goals for increased physical activity.

Known as the Get Active Challenge, the program is one portion of a four-part initiative known as the Great American Health Challenge, rolled out in early 2009, which includes support to quit smoking, eat more nutritiously, and stay up-to-date on recommended cancer screenings by age.

“Many people are simply unaware of how much of this is actually within their control,” says Denise Kolba of the American Cancer Society office in South Dakota.

Ten Weeks to Better Health

The Get Active Challenge offers a 10-week online physical activity program that lets participants set goals, track their progress and utilize tools and resources aimed at making an active lifestyle fun and enjoyable. Users will find tips to personalize the recommendations with specific activities and the calories they burn as well as calculators to determine personal caloric and exercise needs.

Although the site tailors its guidelines to the individual participant’s lifestyle and needs, the following guidelines apply to everyone who wishes to achieve and maintain good overall health and lower disease risk:

Maintain a health weight throughout life
Adopt a physically active lifestyle, with at least 30 minues of moderate to vigrous physical activity on five or more days per week.
Consumera healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources, and limit the amount of processed red meats you eat
If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit consumption to no more than one drink per day for women or two per day for men

Eat Right

The Eat Right Challenge portion of the site is a helpful complement to the Get Active information. It features recipes, meal and snack ideas, portion control tips and advice on eating out, shopping and cooking smarter. Visitors can even meet with a “virtual dietician” and watch cooking videos. Like the rest of the Great American Health Challenge, the ultimate goal is to decrease cancer risk by improving overall health.

With 65 percent of Americans overweight and 30 percent of them obese, the American Cancer Society’s message is timely. While the site is by no means exhaustive in its health advice, for those who are motivated to reduce their cancer risk, it is a free, reliable, and user-friendly place to start.

The copyright of the article Reduce Cancer Risk by Increasing Activity Level in General Medicine is owned by Alex Strauss. Permission to republish Reduce Cancer Risk by Increasing Activity Level in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.