The answer is simple: it can save your life. With many studies backing up the health benefits and disease-fighting ability of exercise, we must not ignore how important it is to undertake regular physical activity.

Exercise isn't a magic pill though, and no amount is going to make you immune to any disease. For 52-year-old Alexandra Kelly, the diagnosis of breast cancer came as a complete surprise.

'I'd gotten rid of my big backside and middle-age spread, so I thought I'd reward myself with beautiful lingerie. Shortly afterwards, news came through that I'd be losing a breast and my hair was going to fall out,' Alexandra says.

'I'm convinced if I hadn't been exercising and lost the 12kg I did last year then I never would have found the pea-sized lump in my breast,' she says. Alexandra's weight dropped from 79kg to 67kg prior to her diagnosis.

She began chemotherapy last month, and will continue for six more months, but her time at her local gym is giving her the oomph to get up each day. 'The chemo makes me very tired,' Alexandra says. 'But a regular gym session helps me re-energise and feel like a normal person again. Just having a chat with someone on the next machine takes me to a better place.'

The Chemo Club

Twice a week, a determined group of 50 cancer sufferers from various backgrounds show up at Steve Smith's Aspire Fitness gym in WA to get fit and feel better.

They're affectionately known as the Chemo Club and all are there to replace the muscle they're rapidly losing to debilitating chemotherapy treatment. Patients report that after a session of sit-ups, push-ups and rubber-band work, the feelings of fatigue are gone.

'There's research that shows exercise lessens the recurrence of cancer by 15 to 25 per cent,' says David Oliver, CEO of Solaris Care Cancer Support Centre in Perth. 'If you could buy
a pill that did this, everyone would be shopping for it. We'd like
to see Chemo Clubs like the one at the Aspire gym associated with every hospital in Australia.'

Prevention plan

No matter how effective cancer treatments become, prevention is still better. Try these strategies for your best shot at a cancer-free life.

• Watch the scales: We need to find at least 30 minutes a day, for a minimum of five days a week, and use it to get sweaty. Up to 20 per cent of cancer deaths are due to people being overweight or obese.
• Eat fresh: There's a strong link between eating fruit and vegies and reducing cancer risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research has stated if the only change a person made was to eat more than five serves of fruit and veg a day, cancer rates could drop by 20 per cent.
• Catch some rays: Studies suggest getting enough vitamin D may cut your risk of breast cancer by up to 50 per cent, however moderation is the key here. Aim for a maximum of 15 minutes a day, otherwise you risk melanoma. People who take vitamin D with calcium can reduce the risks of other cancers by up to 60 per cent compared to people who take neither.

Did you know?

• The risk of developing lung cancer, as well as breast, uterine, colorectal and prostate cancer can be reduced significantly if you exercise regularly. In one study, it was found women who exercised for at least an hour each day reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by 18 per cent compared to less active women.
• Another study found women who exercised for at least
  four hours a week cut their chance of breast cancer by
  50 per cent, compared to those who were sedentary. Remember to talk to your doctor before embarking on any physical exercise program.

Fact!

If you suffer from cancer, it's important to remember that you need more than just one prevention factor to make the difference to your survival. The most powerful protection comes from a combination of good diet and exercise.