Move for the Cure

According to an article in the October 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, if you're not getting enough exercise, it can be bad for your health.  Not only do regular workouts cut your risk of breast cancer, but if you do develop the disease, having been active also substantially lowers the chances of the cancer's recurring.  The numbers are impressive: Physical activity reduces your odds of getting breast cancer by up to 30 percent, a review of 62 studies recently reported.  As for a better prognosis, in a study of 1,225 women diagnosed with breast cancer (mean age: 56), those who had previously logged an average of at least 3.9 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week were 34 percent less likely to have their cancer return or spread than the women who had been the least active (clocking less than 1.4 hours a week of physical activity.) "Other studies show that it's important to keep moving after a diagnosis, too," says lead author Christine Friedenreich, Ph.D., of Alberta Health Services in Canada.  "Exercise can help you avoid gaining weight, which improves your chances of survival."