Benefits of Exercise as Complimentary Cancer Treatment

This is a guest post by David Haas of The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance.


A growing number of fitness programs across the country are targeting cancer patients. The positive experiences of several high-profile athletes diagnosed with cancer in the 1990s spurred new research, which has proven time and again that exercise is safe during every stage of cancer treatment and offers a holistic approach to managing symptoms.

Exercise as Holistic Compliment to Cancer Treatment

In the past, doctors advised against physical activity and tried to manage symptoms of both cancer and treatment with a wide range of medications. Though medications are still commonly used, and some doctors remain wary of exercise, physical fitness has been found a necessary component of treatment by the leading research organization. They suggest that all patients, even those with a terminal diagnosis of brain cancer or mesothelioma, avoid physical inactivity at every stage of treatment.

This one prescription for regular exercise has been proven capable of increasing the quality of life for all patients, reducing reliance on pharmaceuticals in the process. Fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, weight changes, and emotional problems resulting from the stress of diagnosis and treatment can all be addressed at once with regular exercise. Patients with certain forms of cancer will receive further benefits of more successful treatments and longer life expectancy.

Cascading Benefits Attributed to All Forms of Exercise

Though it does not capture more recent studies, a high-quality research review in 2005 shows numerous benefits from the inclusion of a regular exercise program in cancer treatment. Physiological and psychological benefits were numerous for those exercising during traditional treatment programs. At the time, the primary focus was on breast cancer and cardiovascular aerobics, but more recent studies have confirmed these and more benefits for other types of cancer. They have also discovered that anabolic exercise, also known as resistance training, can provide even more benefits.

Is Exercise Really Safe?

Studies on exercise and cancer have been largely performed under the supervision of fitness experts. Many patients are capable of exercising safely without oversight, provided that precautions are taken. Those without a history of physical fitness should start with an easier program and build up slowly to reduce the risk of injury. It will also be helpful to consult with a personal trainer or expert knowledgeable in cancer care. Patients with a good understanding of their body and history of exercise can use their best judgment, such as slowing down the routine immediately after treatment and avoiding over-exertion.

Certain types of treatment, such as various surgeries, will benefit from special forms of exercise. Physical therapists often consult with oncologists to provide these. Advanced stage patients who require hospitalization may be severely limited in physical mobility, but even here individualized fitness programs can provide benefits.

To read more posts from David Haas, and for information and support for cancer, please visit his blog about cancer and fitness at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance.

And please visit our NEW website -- www.positivechargefitness.com for Long Island personal training.

Why Your Weight Loss Suddenly Tanked Like The Economy -- And How To Fix It (Part 2 of 3)

In the first installment of our three-part article we described a scenario that was frighteningly familiar to the all-too-many of you who have suffered the frustrations of what many call "Yo-yo" weight gain/loss. (If you haven't read part 1 yet, click here before you continue.)

I want you to know that I'm writing this for all the good-intentioned people out there who have tried their hardest to achieve weight loss -- people who have literally pushed themselves to the limits that their bodies and their spirits could take. You know who you are. I applaud you and respect your courage and your will. You are exactly the kind of client I have the most personal training success with, because unlike many others, you are clearly motivated and committed to doing what it takes to make a change.

So please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way... I don't blame you 100% for losing a bunch of weight only to gain it back even worse than before. Hey, you put in the sacrifice to lose it in the first place.

Bottom line -- the reason you constantly experience the "yo-yo" roller coaster of weight-loss as we described last time is this...

You're ignorant.

You're confused.

You think you know what it means to live a truly healthy lifestyle, but as much as you may believe you've learned about fitness, YOU JUST HAVE NO CLUE AT ALL.

You really tried. I know. I'll say again - for as many times as you may have ultimately failed at this - you are exactly the kind of person who has the most potential to succeed. Because you've already proven you have the guts to take action and make big changes to the way you live in order to attain a goal that really means something to you.

It's just that you took the WRONG actions.

You listened to the wrong people, watched the wrong TV shows, read the wrong articles and books, got taken by the wrong infomercials.

And you got greedy for something I call "fake fitness". You got addicted to losing the wrong kind of weight.

"Jason, what do you mean 'The wrong kind of weight'? That's just silly. I set out to lose weight, and I did (at least at first). I wanted to get slimmer and I did (at first). How can that be wrong?"

They told you you'd be losing fat. THEY PROMISED YOU YOU'D BE LOSING FAT.

But they "effed" you. They "effed" you real good. Because they knew that all you really cared about was losing "weight". They knew you'd let the scale be the final judge of your fitness.

All that "weight" you lost at first - especially the first few days? Guess what? It was mostly water.

That "weight" that seemed to keep coming off early on, but slowing down later? It was mostly muscle.

Did you lose fat too? Yeah, probably.

But at what expense?

By following the kind of "fitness" program you read about in part one of our story, you basically turned your body into a FAT-ATTRACTING-SUPER-MAGNET.

That's what I call "fake fitness".

Here's your first mistake:

YOUR GOALS SUCKED!

You didn't care about fitness. Not really. You cared about "weight loss".

And just weighing less does not necessarily mean you've become more fit. Damn what the "BMI idiots" say about it. Just look at where your "weight loss" got you in the long run.

Plus, "losing" anything sends your psyche the wrong message. Our human nature is to hold on to things. We don't like to lose things. What we like is to achieve things, to win things. We like to GAIN things. So obviously "weight LOSS" shouldn't have ever entered the conversation when you set your goals.

In my experience, placing too much importance on "weight loss" has a trickle down effect that screws up EVERYTHING when it comes to getting truly "fit".

Here's your second mistake:

YOU'RE AFRAID OF MUSCLE

Admit it. You're so irrationally afraid of "looking like a bodybuilder" that you relegated the single most important part of your exercise program to the bench. It's an ignorant way of thinking -- and it's been proven wrong both by science and in the trenches for years -- yet people still follow this false "logic" by running for hours on a treadmill like a bored hamster on a wheel.

You can't just run the fat off your body! (Unless you plan on running forever.)

You have to beat it off your body with iron and steel!! (Then maybe take a quick run home, just to enjoy the spoils of victory!)

Who wins in the end? The one who runs? OR THE ONE WHO FIGHTS! Yeah, I thought you'd start to see it my way.

"Muscle IS metabolism!" You failed because you don't understand the importance of that statement and how to use it to your advantage. When it comes to lifting weights, there is everything to gain and nothing to fear.

Guys, you are in control of how big you get! Muscles do not grow huge and bulging overnight. It takes months and years. YOU WILL NOTICE BEFORE YOU TURN INTO A FULL BLOWN GIANT-MUSCLED FREAKAZOID!

And ladies, please understand your female bodies don’t produce enough testosterone to build the bulky muscles you see in bodybuilding ads. Testosterone is the key hormone for putting on muscle mass, and women just don't have enough of it (unless they are injecting it or just ridiculously hormonally imbalanced.) Weightlifting makes women strong, not huge. Don't we all agree that a strong woman is a sexy woman?

Here's your third mistake:

YOU ATE LIKE A BIRD, YET STILL BECAME A HIPPO.

Yeah, I know that was a low blow. "Isn't this supposed to be the Positive Charge blog?"

Listen, sometimes you need to shock yourself into finally "getting it". Sometimes you need to feel like an idiot before you finally stop using the same terrible strategies.

I'm not even gonna elaborate too much on this one:

If you consistently eat an amount of calories that is too far below your body's needs, you will suffer a long-term drop in your metabolism. The fat WILL get harder to keep off, and when it comes back, it will come back FASTER.

In part three, we'll tell you how to fix these mistakes, so next time, all your hard work will really pay off.

Why Your Weight Loss Suddenly Tanked Like The Economy -- And How To Fix It (Part 1 of 3)

"My weight loss plan was working perfectly."

Armed with your 1300 calorie diet, your hour-a-day cardio routine, and your no-carbs-after-4pm rule, you threw yourself into your weight loss plan with all the enthusiasm and dedication you could muster. You even used the weight machines once in a while if you were feeling good after that hour on the elliptical.

"It's all about calories in, calories out!" That was your mantra. If you just kept burning far more calories that you were consuming every day, that 85 pound weight loss goal would be a reality! You were giving up whatever foods were necessary and pushing your body as hard as it could stand.

It was working. In the first week you lost 10 pounds! The next week, 8 down. Then nearly another 10 by the end of the first month!

"This is almost too good to be true."

Emboldened by your skyrocketing weight-loss totals, you decide that as great as this is, more would be even better! Sixty minutes of spin class turned into ninety. 1300 calories dropped to 1200. Hey, whats 100 calories a day? Especially when you hit another 7 pounds off the scale this week and 5½ the next. The scale was the only critic that mattered - and the scale was saying good things.

Still, you couldn't help but think... Even though the weight loss numbers were impressive, they were down from what you had been losing at the start. It was a bit confusing that you were working harder, eating less, yet losing weight slower. But why?

"I think I figured it out!"

It seems logical that since you're a lighter person than you were a few months ago, you're just not burning as much calories during your cardio. You're carrying around less weight, so you're body isn't working as hard. Right? So of course you need to step up the cardio even more! You decide to squeeze in a second workout on days you don't have work. Your family would understand.

By the same token, a lighter body needs less calories, doesn't it? When you started with 1300 calories a day, that was almost 40 pounds ago! Chopping off that 100 calories obviously was not enough, you thought. Doctors say 1200 calories is a bare minimum for your gender, but you decided you could get by for a while on 1100. Just until you hit your goal.

The scale is judging you. But now its verdict is only 2-3 pounds every week to ten days.

"I'm still losing weight, but..."

This so called "fitness lifestyle" is getting really hard to maintain for you. Your energy is not where it was after the first month. You're feeling more stressed and less focused. You had to skip your workout today because of another headache.

You want that ICE CREAM, DAMMIT! Just one bowl!

But, no! You've come so far with your plan. You can't just quit on yourself. Maybe you just overdid it. Maybe if you just went back to your original plan, you would see better results again. So it's back to 1300 calories and 60 minutes on the treadmill, no carbs after 4pm.

It's a week later, and those extra 200 calories a day haven't made you feel all that much more energetic. Sixty minutes on the stairmaster isn't much easier than ninety, either. But you think to yourself: "This is the routine that had me losing 10 pounds a week. This is the routine my body liked best." Right?

"I gained weight?!? How is this possible?!?"

Somehow, your weight went up a pound. You're doing the same things that had you losing 10 pounds a week a few months ago. What if you tried that fat burner pill. Or that fat blocker pill? Or that 5 day, juice and pepper detox thing?

It's ridiculous, isn't it. How did you gain weight? Yeah, you finally broke down and snuck those french fries on Wednesday - but on Thursday you made up for it by skipping breakfast.

You start feeling that none of this is worth it -- that this is the start of ALL those pound you lost coming right back. You've seen it with others. They're gonna come back faster and heavier than before. You can't understand why it isn't working for you.

"Am I just meant to always be fat?"

The answer to that question is "no". You have the desire and the commitment and the physical ability to do it. Of that there is no doubt.

But there are some real good reasons that your weight-loss bubble burst, and the state of your physical fitness is now in recession.

In Part 2, we'll examine the mistakes that caused this situation, so that you NEVER, EVER make them again...

Eating Less May Not Extend Human Life: Caloric Restriction May Benefit Only Obese Mice

ScienceDaily (2009-01-26) -- Caloric restriction only benefits obese mice, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. The results suggest that caloric restriction may not be a universally beneficial anti-aging strategy, as commonly believed.

I've blogged about the topic of calorie requirements a few times here. Despite what some diet "gurus" might say in order to sell you books, pills, and short term "solutions" that are really "illusions". Here's the truth:

A CALORIE RESTRICTED LIFESTYLE IS DETRIMENTAL TO LONG TERM FAT LOSS AND PRESERVATION OF LEAN MUSCLE.

Yes a caloric deficit is necessary to reduce your body weight, but that deficit should be a safe one. 15-20% of your body's energy requirements.

It's hard to pin down a clear definition here. To me, the term "calorie restriction" means that you are restricting your body from obtaining the calories and nutrients necessary for healthy functioning. I think knowing your body's requirements is the first step in avoiding this state.

It isn't all that hard to figure out your caloric requirements. It just takes a scale, a $15 pair of body fat calipers (or a scale that gives you your bodyfat%), and some simple math. In fact, you don't even have to do the math. I've already done that for you in my Total Daily Energy Expenditure calculator - which is always right here near the top right of this blog.

Let me refer you to an oldie but goodie that I posted a while back:

How Many Calories Should I Eat Each Day?

8 Simple Rules to Avoid Overeating

Here's 8 easy rules to help anybody avoid overeating...

1) Serve dinner on smaller plates. We're programmed to fill - and clean - our plates. This one is a no-brainer.

2) At restaurants, put half in a takeout box before you even start eating. Restaurant food is usually really yummy. If it's in front of you, you're probably going to eat it. Restaurants are notorious for huge portions. Plus having that nice (half a) restaurant meal for lunch the next day is a treat!

3) Don't go grocery shopping hungry. This just encourages you to buy tons of junk food. Head for the market after a good meal - those junk foods won't seem so seductive.

4) Drink water between meals. This can satiate your cravings to snack on junk food between meals.

5) Snack on fresh veggies. Because of high fiber, high nutrient content, high water content and low calories. Fresh veggies are the perfect thermic snack. They provide great nourishment for the body, stoke the metabolism, and metabolism of some veggies actually burn more calories than the veggie contains!

6) Drop dairy fat down a notch. After a few weeks weeks of lower fat dairy, not only will you not really miss the full fat versions - they'll probably make you feel gross if you try to go back to them.

7) Know your salad dressings. Salads are great! Unfortunately, many salad dressings are not. Most creamy dressings add 120-180 calories of pure fat to your salad - and that's if you go by the 2-tablespoon serving size!

8) Buy pre-portioned snacks. Hey, if you can't keep from stuffing your face full of chips or cookies, at least control yourself. One way is to buy the little snack-pack sizes. At least you'll be doing some damage control. The worst thing about processed snacks like cakes cookies and chips is that they don't fill you up, so you just keep eating them as long as they are in front of you. They also spike you blood sugar - which means a big insulin response - which means blood sugar then drops rapidly - which causes MORE CRAVINGS.

Stop Getting Sick So Often: The Most Critical Nutrient To Your Body Is The One You Have No Clue About

In the near future "Glutathione" is going to become a household word. Getting tested for your body's glutathione levels will soon become as common as getting tested for cholesterol or white blood cell count. In health food stores and anti-aging clinics everywhere, glutathione enhancement will be the big thing - and for very good reason. The role glutathione plays in our overall health is already very well known in the fights against HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, Parkinsons, cancer, and other diseases.

What exactly is Glutathione, and why do you need it?

Glutathione is a tripeptide made within each cell of your body. Three amino acids - glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine - are required within the cell to make it. Glutathione serves many health and longevity functions:

Antioxidant: Glutathione is the major antioxidant produced by our bodies. It participates directly in the neutralization of the free radicals which constantly bombard our bodies causing aging, degenerative changes, inflammation and disease. Glutathione is often called the "Master Antioxidant" because without it, our other antioxidants - the ones we consume through foods, like vitamins C, A and E - suffer significantly reduced effectiveness.

Immune Booster: Glutathione is essential for the function of immune cells, which protect us from viral and bacterial infections. In people with immune deficiency, glutathione levels fall well below normal. In particular, glutathione has shown to improve the function of T-cells, a critical component of the immune system.

Detoxifier: Glutathione detoxifies many chemicals, both organic and inorganic, including carcinogens, phenols, bacterial toxins, household chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals. In fact, quickly raising blood Glutathione levels is a strategy used by doctors to treat some overdose patients.

Overall Health: Glutathione plays a fundamental role in numerous metabolic and biochemical reactions such as DNA synthesis and repair, protein synthesis, amino acid transport and enzyme activation. Thus, every system in the body can be affected by glutathione levels, especially the immune system, the nervous system, the gastrointestinal system and the lungs.

Here's an excerpt straight from the Physician's Desk Reference 2006:

Glutathione deficiency states include, but are not limited to: HIV/AIDS, infectious hepatitis, certain types of cancers, cataracts, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinsons, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, radiation, poisoning by paracetamonol and related agents, malnutritive states, arduous physical stress, aging, and has been associated with sub-optimal immune response. Many clinical pathologies are associated with oxidative stress and are elaborated upon in numerous medical references. Low glutathione is also strongly implicated in wasting and negative nitrogen balance (Droge and Holm, 1997), notably as seen in cancer, AIDS, sepsis, trauma, burns and even athletic overtraining. Glutathione supplementation can oppose this process and in AIDS, for example, result in improved survival rates (Herzenberg et al, 1997).

It's pretty clear that glutathione has an amazing impact on our health and wellness.

How do you raise your body's glutathione level?

First, glutathione cannot be ingested. You may notice health food stores selling glutathione as a supplement. Don't waste your money. Studies have already shown that glutathione is too complex a molecule to be absorbed when ingested - it just passes right through you. As I mentioned before, it is made within the cells of your body, using the three amino acids glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. The most crucial of the three is cysteine, for two reasons. First, cysteine is responsible for the bioactivity of glutathione and second, science has found out that Cysteine is hard to get from food. And when it is occasionally ingested with food, it is then difficult to get it from the gut into the cells. This is because a cysteine molecule by itself is toxic. Your body’s defense system will oxidize it and destroy it. However, two cysteine molecules linked together – then called cystine (drop the first "e") – will be allowed to travel unharmed from the gut to the cell.

Cystine (the bonded form of Cysteine) is the key!

A quality, undenatured whey protein isolate is the safest effective source of the cystine necessary to raise glutathione levels. There are many whey protein isolates out there, but there is only one that is clinically proven to raise glutathione levels. The product is called Immunocal.

Immunocal is listed in the Physician's Desk Reference and the Pharmacist's Red Book. It is covered my Medicare/Medicaid. It holds numerous worldwide patents proving that the production process results in bonded cysteine that actually remains biologically active (usable). Immunocal has over 10 years of clinical studies proving its effectiveness at raising glutathione levels. Basically it is unique in its proven effectiveness. And it has no side effects! Only those on immunosuppressant medications (for organ transplant perhaps), or people with serious allergies to milk protein will have a problem with Immunocal. It's even Lactose free!

Over my career as a fitness trainer, I have never been one to strongly recommend supplements. Any of my clients will vouch for me on this. I believe in getting the most out of your own body through proper exercise and eating right. In the past, I only talked about supplements with those clients who came to me first about the topic. And even then, I only ever recommended flaxseed oil for essential fatty acids, meal replacement drinks for those too busy to eat well every meal, and Flintstones vitamins :). But I will now be recommending Immunocal to all my clients. I think its a product we should all be aware of. In fact I strongly recommend this product to anybody seeking to improve their overall health and longevity!

I wish I had discovered this product years ago. I have used it myself for two months now and have already seen tremendous benefits. My chronic sinus problems, which even surgery did not help very much, have greatly alleviated. My sense of smell has started to return after many years. My cholesterol profile has improved significantly. I don't get acid reflux anymore, where I had been experiencing it regularly before I started Immunocal. My sniffles and sore throats, that used to always mean an impending cold, just go away without becoming anything. This is only two months of use, let me remind you. I am so excited about the long term benefits! Check my blog in the future for more on glutathione and Immunocal.

Buy Immunocal

"The Biggest Loser" Type Success - Can You Do It Too?

If you're a fan of the hit NBC show The Biggest Loser you've seen the life changing power of living a fitness lifestyle.

Unfortunately, you may not be so fortunate as to get picked for a television show -- to be completely taken out of your daily routine (including your job and caring for your family) and placed in a controlled environment where some of the top doctors, nutritionists, motivational experts, and fitness gurus in the world get paid big big bucks by NBC to drag you out of bed twice a day for workouts, plan your caloric intake, prepare your meals for you, and give you free psychological counseling to boot.

So does that mean that life changing results are only for those lucky enough to get picked for a TV show?

Can you ever in a million years even HOPE to experience a fitness transformation like we see every season on "Biggest Loser"? Is it really possible in the "real world"?

The answer is "HELLLLLLL YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!"

Are you gonna have to work harder to resist temptations? Yeah.

Are you gonna have to try harder to transition from your old ways to your new ways? Check.

Are you gonna have to learn how to prepare healthy fat-blasting meals on your own? Darn right.

Are you gonna have to rely on YOURSELF a bit more than the people you see getting results on TV? I think you already know that.

But do you have to do it alone?

No. You don't have to do it alone.

If you feel like you've tried everything.

If you feel like you've been betrayed by diets that starved you for months only to have the fat come right back, plus interest, when you couldn't live on 1200 calories anymore.

If you're fed up, at wits end, are sick and tired of it, and just can't stand living the way you're living anymore.

Then get EXCITED!

Because that means you're READY.

You're ready for science based, real world tested, experienced, caring, one-on-one, private fitness training and nutritional guidance.

POSITIVE CHARGE Fitness is here for you. If you live here on Long Island, let us work with you to start you on your own "Biggest Loser" journey. If you aren't here on Long Island, let us help pair you up with an excellent trainer wherever in the world you happen to be.

Jason@positivecharge.net (516) 220-1434