Mother's Day Wishes

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all moms. My hearty wish for Mother's Day is that no mothers should have to face a diagnosis of cancer, or sit by their sons or daughters as they face cancer, or their husbands or partners. What I wish for, as always, is a kinder, gentler world that is free of cancer.

But that's not happening - so instead, go for a walk. For Mother's Day, take your mother for a walk. It's fine to have a nice brunch, but afterward, at least walk around the block. Better yet, skip the brunch and take a walk in the park. If you don't live close (like me), encourage her to go out for a walk when you call her.

Moderate exercise, like walking, has been shown to reduce the risk of breast and other cancers. It also reduces the risk of recurrence in breast cancer. In 2005, results were released from the Nurses' Study which showed that regular, moderate exercise (3-5 hours of moderate exercise, like walking, per week) lowered the risk of breast cancer recurrence by around 50%! The Health, Eating, Activity and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study, carried out at Yale School of Medicine, found that moderate-intensity exercise reduced the risk of death (both from breast cancer and other causes) by 67% in women who remained active two years after a breast cancer diagnosis. There are other studies, as well, which find reductions in risk of breast cancer death by around 40-55% associated with exercise. And the benefits are not limited to breast cancer alone. The National Cancer Institute has estimated that 25-30% of all colon, breast, endomitrial, kidney and esophageal cancers are associated with lack of activity and obesity.

So my wishes for a suddenly cancer-free world are not realistic, but your ability to take control to reduce your own risk for cancer is. This is something that is firmly in your control. These are HUGE numbers! The numbers in these studies for reducing risk are as strong as those for many standard treatments. And trust me, going for a walk is a whole lot easier than chemo! (I'm not saying that exercise should replace standard treatment! I'm just saying that the evidence for the benefit of exercise is worthy of serious consideration. I believe in taking advantage of every effective tool in fighting cancer.)

Go for a walk today and take your mom. It's good for you and for her. And Happy Mother's Day, mom. Now, turn off the computer and go out for a walk.

Julie