No doubt, when you start seeing those cute cut-out hearts, candy and chocolate in just about every store, you know that Valentines’ Day is approaching!

But there’s also another event that occurs in February and it’s a pretty big one: American Heart Month. It’s a great time to focus on your heart health and make choices to keep it healthy. One way to do that is through exercise, which can keep you – and your heart – in top form!

Exercise is important for everyone, including cancer patients and survivors.

If you follow Cancer Recovery Foundation International’s guidelines, you will soon hear the term “integrated cancer care.”  When the term “integrated” is used, we mean patient-centered cancer care that extends well beyond the orthodox treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The fundamental focus of integrated cancer care is about displacing illness by creating wellness—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Orthodox medicine often has a place – an important short-term role –  in the cancer recovery process.

“I’m too tired.”

“It’s not fun.”

“I don’t have the time.”

“My legs look ugly in gym shorts.”

“The weather’s bad.”

You’ve heard them. We’ve all used them. They are excuses for people who don’t want to exercise. But even the very best of integrated cancer care will not be maximized without regular exercise. Think of it as a mandatory requirement.

In 2005, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study on physical activity and survival after a cancer diagnosis. The study found that exercising just one hour per week could lower the risk of recurrence by approximately 20 percent.