Home-based Physical Activity Reduces Fatigue in Cancer Survivors

Exercise is beneficial for your health. However, not everybody is equally able to exercise because of physical or other health-related limitations. This can especially be the case for people who have had cancer. These patients often suffer from physical deconditioning and fatigue. After performing literature research, investigators from the Netherlands found hopeful results for these patients. Home-based physical activity (PA) interventions of low-to-moderate intensity can reduce symptoms of fatigue in cancer survivors, especially if frequent counseling was part of the intervention. The interventions in the various studies increased PA in daily activities, such as walking or gardening, and were mostly performed 150 minutes a week for 12 weeks. The authors conclude that increases in daily PA are effective to reduce fatigue. They suggest to offer home-based PA interventions with counseling especially for survivors of cancer who experience barriers to sport and exercise.