Couch Potato, Meet Veg-O-Matic!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - in fact I just said it to a patient of mine who came in for his ten-year checkup after battling one of the nastier cancers coiled in the soft, verdant field we call "life." (He's cured now, thank God.) He expressed dire unhappiness with his weight, so I said it to him:

"Exercise Beneficial In Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy."

Hmm...this may be a tad inaccurate. I think what I was trying to say was that exercise is beneficial for cancer survivors. Unfortunately my words of wisdom seemed to have the same effect on this patient as the advice I gave my son last night that started with the phrase "Are you ever going to pick up your dirty clothes?" In both cases I felt my exhortations falling on deaf ears. This is wrong, because more and more studies are being published showing that regular exercise improves the health and survival of people living with cancer, or people who used to have cancer, or people whose cancer was surgically removed but are now on adjuvant treatment (you get the idea). As far as any studies revealing the secret to getting teenagers to listen - I believe this is what they call "a lost cause."

What about this new headline suggesting exercise benefits women on radiation therapy for breast cancer? Here's the inside scoop:

Twenty to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five times a week maintains red blood cell levels and reduces fatigue, anemia, and depression, reported Jacqueline Drouin, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan at Flint, and colleagues, online in Cancer in advance of the Nov. 15 issue.

I can't emphasize enough the health benefits of exercise. Why this is not piped through every T.V. show and I-Pod in America is beyond me. Look at this small but important study, which concluded that exercise, which is commonly thought to improve one's sense of well being, also prevented the development of anemia:

The authors found that compared to women who did not regularly exercise, women who briskly walked 20-45 minutes three to five times a week during radiotherapy treatment did not experience a decline in levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells, and hematocrit.

I defy anyone to find a well-conducted clinical study that shows that exercise is harmful to cancer patients, not to mention the rest of us paunchy, pudgy, roly-poly porkers who ought to be out there right now marching the dog across the hills and dales of the nearest park. Exercise is la prioridad más alta and should be at the top of everyone's "to do" list when they roll out of the futon each morning.

That's it - I'm lacing up the Chuck Taylor All-Stars and heading to the gym for an hour of pain...yes, pain, but sweet pain, assuaged by the knowledge that it is shared by all who labor to stay in shape. Besides, everyone looks good when they're exercising!