Physical Activity and Exercise

Doing some form of regular physical activity is important in keeping healthy. Physical activity can range from your everyday activities such as housework or walking, to structured exercise such as fitness classes at a gym or playing a sport. Physical activity can keep you fit and can also improve your mental wellbeing. Everyone has different levels of physical activity and this depends on your personal preferences, situation and level of fitness.

The general advice is that most adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week (for example 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 times a week).

Everybody should aim to do two types of physical activity each week:

Aerobic activity (for example walking, cycling, running, playing a physical sport, aerobics, hiking, dancing, mowing the lawn, martial arts and swimming)

Muscle-strengthening activity (for example lifting weights, sit-ups, push-ups, working with resistance bands, digging or shovelling in the garden and yoga)

You should assess your own situation and level of fitness to see what type of exercise will suit you best. Your disease and treatment may make it difficult for you to do physical activity, or it may be that you have been inactive for a while. In these cases you should start out slowly and only do physical activities at a gentle level that you feel safe and comfortable doing.

At first you may only feel able to do physical activity a couple of times a week for just 10 minutes at a time. Once you become used to doing physical activity and start to feel fitter you can then build up the intensity, the amount of time spent exercising and the types of activity you do.

Remember, doing at least some physical activity is better than doing nothing at all.

Only do physical activity that you feel safe and comfortable doing. Do not over exert yourself or make yourself extremely short of breath. If you suddenly experience any pain, become breathless or dizzy/lightheaded, have nausea or an irregular pulse stop exercising immediately. If you are unsure of what types of physical activity might be suitable for you, speak to your medical team for further advice. You may also like to speak to someone from Leeds Cancer Support to obtain an information booklet and advice.