Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Does exercise help?

It's rather a bad time for me to have read an article that supports exercise as a statistical prevention against cancer. I haven't been to the pool in two months, and I've been taking walks no more than three times a week.

This NY Times article concerns breast and colon cancer, two cancers that also have a genetic tie, which I don't think the article mentions. But these are also two cancers that are connected to diet--too much fat increases chances--so maybe that's the factor.

Another thing not mentioned, or at least tied together, is that exercise makes one feel better, more positive, less depressed, which gives a strength to overcome cancer if, G-d forbid, it hits. Statistically that has been proven.

So, one should stay fit, and I'd add that the exercise you choose should be of a social nature, with others, so if G-d forbid you need friends to get you out and moving, you'll have them.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's encourage each other to get out and exercise. I need to do more of this too, and right now the weather here is perfect. My grandmother died from breast cancer and my grandfather from colon cancer, so I too have genetic risks. Lunchtime! Today! A good mile-long walk!

Batya said...

Great idea. I walked a few kilometers in Jerusalem today. Too bad we live too far apart to walk together.