The Goals of My Active Health

The goals of My Active Health^TM

Make physical activity accessible by offering free services to people affected by breast cancer throughout Quebec.
Get and keep people motivated for physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
Give people the tools and help them develop new skills to practice daily physical activity.
Create a community for sharing, exchange and support.
Fund research on physical activity in relation to breast cancer.

The benefits of physical activity during and after treatment

Improves breast cancer survival
Reduces fatigue
Facilitates body weight management
Reduces stress, anxiety and depression
Reduces the intensity of treatment-related side effects
Maintains bone health and muscle mass
Improves shoulder mobility after surgery
Stabilizes lymphedema
Improves or maintains quality of life during and after treatment
Reduces the intensity of cancer treatment–related side effects
Eases the return to work and to regular activities after treatment

Recommandations

It is scientifically proven that exercise is a safe and effective complementary therapy. Not only does it free the mind and calm and soothe the body, it will also help you better endure treatment and speed up your return to functional energy levels.

Exercise is easier and more accessible than you might think. In fact, physical activity also means taking part in day-to-day activities, working, enjoying leisure activities and getting around.

Avoid inactivity.
Resume your daily living activities as soon as possible after surgery.
Continue your regular physical activities as much as possible during and after non-surgical treatments.
The general recommendations for exercise are the same for those affected by cancer as for the general population.

Replace an inactive lifestyle by :

Gradually adding blocks of 5, 10 or 15 minutes of physical activity to your day,
All the while, respecting your current pace and condition
Finding opportunities to replace inactive times with light physical activity.

In support of these recommandations

Getting 150 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity exercise per week reduces the risk of developing breast cancer by 25%
In people who have been affected, the risk of recurrence decreases by 12–21% with just 30 minutes of physical activity per day.
In a survey of 232 people with breast cancer, 82% said they were interested in increasing their physical activity. The obstacle? Their lack of motivation.