Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity increases cognitive function and reduces fatigue in breast cancer survivors, concludes a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne study. The 299 participants that had undergone chemotherapy an average of eight years earlier wore an accelerometer for a week to measure their average daily minutes of exercise and completed a set of questionnaires and neuropsychological tests. The findings suggest that those regularly performing this level of exercise benefit through improved attention, memory and multitasking abilities.

Also, in a recent Portuguese study of 15 women being treated for advanced breast cancer, eight women performed two, one-hour sessions a week of aerobic, strength-training and arm exercises. After 12 weeks, they experienced significantly less fatigue and pain, improved cardiovascular fitness, better emotional well-being and a greater ability to perform daily tasks, compared to the control group.

This article appears in the July 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.