Dealing with cancer is going to be an excruciating experience, but things won’t get to normal immediately after the treatment stops, which makes post-surgery cancer care tricky. Changing your lifestyle after treatment is important and it may also be beneficial to invest in life insurance for cancer cover to safeguard your future. What you eat and how you spend the rest of your days will have an impact on the quality of treatment you’ve received. Here are a few important tips to remember in order to live better with cancer.
Don’t Smoke
No matter what type of cancer you had, you need to quit smoking after being treated. Not only will quitting help lower the risk of stroke and heart disease, but it will also lower your chances of developing a second cancer. Don’t bash yourself for not being able to quit immediately because most people try 6-7 times before they get rid of it for good.
Just ensure to work with your healthcare provider to look for new scientific ways to quit effectively. You can always join a quit-smoking program, especially designed for cancer survivors. While you’re trying, be sure to avoid smoky restaurants and bars because secondhand smoke can be just as dangerous.
Exercise Regularly
You need to understand the importance of being active after you’ve defeated your enemy – cancer. Exercise regularly and work with your healthcare provider to find the best fitness program that fits your lifestyle as well as your current physical condition. You can start with a short walk of half an hour or switch to aerobic activity to get good results.
Remember, regular activity will keep your mind away from what you’ve endured in the recent weeks and months, which will reduce the stress levels and accelerate recovery at the same time. The fact that regular exercise significantly lowers the risk of recurrence should be enough to keep you up and moving.
Work on Maintaining Your Weight
Your life will be a mess because of treatment side effects, ever-increasing stress, and changes to your life’s routine. All these stressors can lead to weight gain that increases your risk of developing many serious health complications.
Your goal should at least be keeping you from gaining additional weight. It will be difficult but it’s crucial, and again, staying active will help a lot here.
Eat in a Healthy Way
Paying attention to your diet is important because it helps accelerate recovery and also plays a role in lowering your weight. Include vegetables and fruits in your diet – you may eat veggies as a snack and choose fruit with your cereal. You should limit your intake of red meat and instead eat fish, chicken, or beans more often. Similarly, you should avoid refined carbs and opt for whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice. Be sure to work with your healthcare provider to learn food safety tips, as it helps prevent food poisoning.
Conclusion
The fact is that your battle against cancer will test you in every way possible, but once you’ve come out victorious, you will have to rethink how you want to live your life. Keep in touch with your doctor until your life is back to normal.