Supervised exercise helped reduce recurrence of colorectal cancer, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Regular, supervised exercise helped people who’d been treated for colorectal cancer avoid recurrence of the disease, a new study shows, adding to the burgeoning body of evidence demonstrating the clear health benefits of exercise in many settings, including avoiding cancer development as well as recurrence. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns Hopkins says the devil may be in the details.

Nelson: The structured part and the supervised part that that's complicated. We've seen that with some of the weight loss kind of programs where some level of structure is helpful. Clearly it tells you that exercise itself can be helpful or are you more likely to accomplish that level of exercise with being enrolled in a program some structural thing I think that's a legitimate question. I think it's one that individuals can achieve without a doubt.   :23 

Nelson says integration of regular exercise into a healthy lifestyle seems deceptively simple and affirms that the majority of us are physically capable of accomplishing this goal, yet study after study shows how few people stick with it. He says acknowledging one’s own limitations and enrolling in a supervised program may be a helpful strategy. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.