The Benefits of Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Habits
This Article Includes
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- Elizabeth Francis of Texas turned 115 years old this year, making her among the oldest in the U.S. She credits her longevity to her faith and healthy lifestyle habits, which include not smoking, limited alcohol, regular physical activity, and a healthy diet.
- SurvivorNet experts recommend regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management for cancer survivors to lead healthy lives. They may also recommend regular checks for recurrence.
- One benefit of maintaining optimal health for those with cancer is they are more likely to endure treatment better and experience fewer side effects, MD Anderson’s Dr. Sairah Ahmed told SurvivorNet.
- New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans previously spoke with SurvivorNet about how faith can help people cope with the complex emotions that come with cancer.
- A study published in Cancer includes data that found “69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health” compared to “only 45% of the general U.S. population.”
- When it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress, psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it’s important to have a healthy relationship with your anxiety and get to know it rather than fear it, avoid it, or push it away.
Francis shared with MDLinx, “I just feel like living every day.” Reaching 115 years is a remarkable achievement, and Francis, along with others like her, celebrates it at every opportunity. According to LongeviQuest, a website dedicated to the world’s oldest people, Francis has never smoked, followed a plant-based diet, kept stress levels low, engaged in regular physical activity, and avoided smoking and excessive alcohol. In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Robert Wright, chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at Mount Sinai, mentioned that preventing cancer generally involves “eating more vegetables and less meat, particularly red meat.”
Wright emphasized red meat because a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that “Red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality.” If you can’t eliminate meat entirely, try reducing your overall intake—perhaps by eating meat only twice a week instead of daily.
Interestingly, many of Francis’ healthy habits also help reduce cancer risk. She credits her faith in God for her longevity, and like her other healthy habits, many cancer patients rely on their faith to support their mental health during their journeys.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
General recommendations for a healthy lifestyle are similar whether or not you have cancer. Dr. Ken Miller, the Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, shared guidelines for cancer survivors concerned about recurrence with SurvivorNet:
– Exercise at least two hours a week, and walking counts.
– Eat a low-fat diet.
– Eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society recommends aiming for two to three cups of vibrant vegetables and fruits each day.
– Maintain a healthy weight. Studies show that obesity can increase your risk for several types of cancer.
“The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the fewer side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life,” Dr. Sairah Ahmed told SurvivorNet. Dr. Ahmed is an associate professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Francis’ healthy lifestyle mirrors that of Jacques Houot, 83, an avid skier, biker, and all-around athlete. He believes the secrets to a long, healthy, active life include:
– Maintaining physical activity
– Keeping your brain active
– Not smoking
– Maintaining a healthy weight
– Eating a plant-based diet
– Sleeping well
– Socializing
– Having a sense of humor
Managing Your Stress
Throughout her many decades, Francis has dealt with numerous stressors, including world wars, pandemics, and economic recessions. She has learned to cope with life-altering situations and manage her stress. Stress is common among cancer patients, but managing it offers many benefits. Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist and founder of “Strong In Therapy,” helps the SurvivorNet community by sharing coping mechanisms and structured ways to handle these issues.
Dr. Strongin says that one of the main causes of anxiety is uncertainty about life, and a cancer diagnosis can fuel that anxiety due to the lack of certainty about the future. She recommends checking in with yourself daily to find the root cause of your anxiety. “The answers are our coping skills,” Dr. Strongin says. “Some people are really good at always giving themselves answers…other people don’t have the coping skills to answer their anxiety, and as a result, the anxiety increases. … We are all facing the same questions.” “Some are facing them much more than others, and some are better at answering those questions than others. What’s really important is to pay attention to what those questions are, the frequency of those questions, and how you’re answering them.”
The Power of Having Faith
Francis credits part of her longevity to her faith. She’s not alone in believing that religion can impact one’s health. Having faith can help keep your spirits high even during struggles. SurvivorNet experts also say it helps cancer patients during their journeys. New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans spoke with SurvivorNet about the importance of finding ways to cope with the complex feelings you may experience after a challenging health diagnosis, such as cancer or a threatening tumor.
“It’s important to reach out in a simple prayer to God, even if you’ve never prayed before, you don’t know what to say, a heartfelt plea, ‘God, help me, be with me,’” Pastor Evans told SurvivorNet. “You can reach out to God, and you can reach out to people, your friends and family, and say, ‘I can’t do this on my own. I need you.’ “It’s in that willingness to be open and to receive that we can find something deeper that we never would’ve encountered without this hardship,” Evans continued.
A study published in Cancer includes data showing that “69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health” compared to “only 45% of the general U.S. population.” Cancer psychologist Dr. Andrew Kneier co-authored “Coping with Cancer: Ten Steps toward Emotional Well-Being.” He also co-authored a column published by Stanford Medicine with Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman, director of spiritual care at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. They add context to the impact faith has on cancer patients. “A person’s faith or spirituality provides a means for coping with illness and reaching a deeper kind of inner healing,” Kneier and Silberman said. “Coping means different things to different people: it can involve finding answers to the questions that illness raises, it can mean seeking comfort for the fears and pain that illness brings, and it can mean learning how to find a sense of direction at a time of illness. Religious teachings can help a person cope in all of these dimensions,” Kneier and Silberman continued.