Looking after yourself properly when you have been diagnosed with cancer is important because:
If your body is fitter then you should do better through your cancer treatment
It supports your mood and emotional wellbeing
It can improve your energy levels and help you feel less tired
It helps you to recover after your treatment and get back to the activities that are important to you
The Prehab4Cancer programme helps you to make changes with combination of exercise and physical activity, eating well and looking after your mental / emotional wellbeing.
How does it work?
Once your nurse / keyworker has referred you to the programme, you’ll receive a call within a few days from our team. They will arrange for you to come in for an assessment with a specialist trainer, at a leisure centre within Greater Manchester. It will be as close as possible to your home or you can choose to go to one of our other assessment clinics around Greater Manchester.
At your assessment, you’ll be asked to complete some questionnaires and do some simple activities to assess your current fitness. You won’t be asked to do anything that’s too difficult for you, and your exercise specialist will explain everything to you.
You will then be given a prehab prescription. This will include;
Exercise
Either a programme for you to complete independently so you will find the exercise sessions help you physically and mentally.
Other participants have found friendships and support within their Prehab4Cancer exercise group, with other people who are going through a similar experience. If you prefer to engage in the service by yourself, individual sessions with the exercise specialists can be arranged.
Nutrition
Your trainer will give you some advice on healthy eating during prehab and your cancer treatment. Lots of this information can also be found here. Your exercise specialist may also speak to your NHS clinical team if they feel you need more specialist nutritional support.
Wellbeing
All our trainers have had specialist training to help them talk to people who may be worried or distressed. They can give you lots of advice about how to look after your mental health, and there is also lots of wellbeing information here. If necessary they can signpost you to specialist mental health services or speak to your NHS clinical team if you are struggling.
Smoking
Our trainers can get you help with giving up smoking and have been trained in smoking cessation advice.
Other Medicines
If you take medicine for other health conditions, your clinical team may want to adjust these or use other medications to optimise you for your cancer treatment.
