Breast Cancer & Exercise – Everything You Need to Know

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month and to show our support for everyone affected by breast cancer, we have taken a look at how exercise can not only help to lower your risk of breast cancer, but it can also be beneficial in a number of ways for those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and for breast cancer survivors. Be sure to keep reading to find out everything you need to know about breast cancer and exercise.

About Breast Cancer

According to Breast Cancer Now, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, with one woman diagnosed every ten minutes and around 55,000 women and 370 men being diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.

There is no single reason for getting breast cancer, but instead it is a combination of different factors that can influence our chances of getting breast cancer, such as the way we live our lives, our surrounding environment, and our genes.

Breast Cancer Prevention

Whilst it cannot always be prevented, there are steps that we can all take to lower our chances of getting breast cancer, including maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, and staying physically active.

A number of scientific studies, have demonstrated that regular exercise is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer, whereby active women have a 10-20% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to less active women.

Exercise is known to boost your immune, which enables your body to naturally kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. Exercise is also proven to lower blood oestrogen levels, which has a connection to lower breast cancer risk.

Exercise Benefits for Breast Cancer Survivors

In a similar way that you can lower your risk of breast cancer through exercise and leading a healthy lifestyle, you can also improve your chances of overcoming your breast cancer diagnosis with exercise. According to the American Cancer Society, those who exercise for thirty minutes per day have a 3% lower risk of breast cancer than those who do not.

Leading a healthy lifestyles can help breast cancer survivors both physically and mentally. Susan G. Komen explains that, for breast cancer survivors, physical activity is highly beneficial and is typically linked to:

• Improved body image
• Improved mood
• Improved physical condition and movement
• Improved quality of life
• Better bone health
• Reduced fatigue
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Reduced distress and depression
• Increased sexuality
• Increased energy

Exercising with Echelon

We know that breast cancer can have a huge impact on our lives and the lives of our loved ones, but instead of focusing on the negatives and things that are out of our control, we should focus on the things we can control, and choosing to exercise is one of those. 

Whether you are exercising to lower your risk of getting breast cancer, to increase your chances of overcoming your diagnosis, or to feel more like you again, as a breast cancer survivor, then be sure to check out the Echelon Premier Membership. When you join our app, not only will you have access to a range of exercise classes, from yoga to cycling classes, so you can find the perfect class for you, but you will also join the Echelon Community, where you can workout with and become friends with other members.

Be sure to check out the Echelon Fit app for our on-demand dual ride with guest expert Thalie from Breast Cancer UK, where she talks all about breast cancer prevention and awareness.

Download the Echelon Fit app 

Download the Echelon Fit App on any iOS or Android device to pair with your connected Echelon equipment and stream exclusive content.