In light of the 1996 Surgeon General's Report On Physical Activity, one would think that clinical exercise programs abound in this country. Health clubs are enjoying record memberships, there are now more fitness equipment manufacturers than ever before, and every other channel on television is promoting an abdominal exerciser. However, promoting exercise in medicine is a different story. As most HMO's require a physician referral for rehab and other services, exercise is no different - even though almost all exercise regimes are not covered on insurance. None the less, it is becoming more important for all breast cancer survivors to add exercise in some form to their recovery process.
Most people listen to their doctor's advise.
If you doctor prescribes exercise already, that is great. If not, it is up to you to ask about exercise, and inform your doctor about some of the recent reports on exercise and its impact on health in cancer recovery. A report from Germany states that regular aerobic biking improved hematocrit levels and quality of life in cancer survivors. Reports from the University of Michigan, and the HealthEmotions Research Institute both show that aerobic and total conditioning programs improve across the board many types of quality of life surveys after 10 weeks or more of supervised exercise. At this time point you probably will see bona fide results from your program and can convey them to your oncologist.