Cancer Research UK : Physical activity, exercise and cancer

Physical activity, exercise and cancer

Physical activity is crucial in schools

Not moving around enough increases your risk of colon and breast cancer. Inactivity may also been linked to cancers of the womb, lung and prostate, but we can't say this for sure yet. On the other hand, the good news is that being very active can probably halve your risk of colon cancer.

In our Physical activity section, you can:

test your knowledge of the links between physical activity and cancer with our online quiz.
learn about the benefits of walking and tips for walking your way to better health
read about how even small bursts of activity are good for you, and ways to keep on moving during your daily routine
read ourtips for parents to encourage your children to be more active
find out about the evidence linking physical activity to cancer

Physical activity and other diseases

Not doing enough physical activity has also been linked to serious diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke and heart disease. People who are not physically active are also more likely to be overweight or obese.

Are we doing enough physical activity in the UK?

The government recommends we do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) at least five days a week. Only 37% of men and 25% of women are currently managing this.

Fortunately, the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle are reversible. Even if you have been inactive for years, becoming more active now will have a positive effect on your health.

Tips for becoming more active

Doing enough physical activity doesn’t have to cost money. You don’t have to join a gym or buy any special equipment. And you don’t need to be thin or fit to make a start. Moderate activity includes brisk walking, gardening, housework and playing with children.

If you want to become more active, there are lots of small changes you can make to your lifestyle. You may have heard some of these before, but they really do work!

Take the stairs instead of the lift
Walk part (or all!) of your journey to work or school
Go for a walk in your lunch break
Walk to the shops
Don’t use the remote control to change TV channels

You could also get involved in an active Cancer Research UK fundraising event - raising money to support our vital research as you shape up!

Team sports are a great way to keep active and fit.

Take to the streets

Cancer Research UK are supporting the Great Activity Revolution, a national activity campaign that aims to get over 2 million people a year active and engaged in mass-participation sporting events by 2012.

The campaign's website has more free information and resources, including personalized training plans, your own online training diary, detailed training advice, a blog, a forum, and access a network of challenging mass participation events throughout the UK. Be sure also to download the new Great Trainer to your mobile phone, it turns it into a personal trainer – tracking routes and giving you audio feedback on the distance covered, pace, time taken and calories burnt. It then uploads the information to your personal page on the website.

Fitness vs. Health

Being moderately active will help improve your health and reduce your risk of disease. But if you want to become physically fit you will usually need to do some regular moderate-high intensity activity.

You may want to become fitter if you have a physically demanding job, play sport or want to have a particular body shape. Visit your local leisure centre to find out more about fitness training.

Ten Top Tips

Cancer Research UK and Weight Concern have joined forces to develop Ten Top Tips for a healthy weight, as part of our Reduce the Risk campaign. These tips have been designed to fit into your daily life and are based on the best scientific evidence. Find out about the Ten Top Tips and ways of sticking to them on our Reduce the Risk site.