Evidence-based

Guides: exercise as medicine, explained

Plain-English, evidence-based guides on what exercise can do for your condition, each reviewed by a named practitioner qualified in clinical exercise physiology.

Cancer

Shoulder and arm exercises after breast cancer surgery

Shoulder and arm exercises after breast cancer surgery usually start the day after your operation: warm-up and basic exercises in week one, with advanced exercises added from week two. Breast Cancer Now advises doing them three times a day for the first three months.

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Cancer

Exercise with blood cancer: lymphoma, myeloma, leukaemia

Exercise with blood cancer is usually possible and helpful, as long as it is adjusted to your blood counts, infection risk, bones and treatment stage.

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Cancer

Exercise during radiotherapy: is it safe and does it help?

Exercise during radiotherapy is usually fine if you start gently and your team agrees. Cancer Research UK says "International guidelines say it is safe to be active during cancer treatment and after".

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Cancer

Free cancer exercise programmes in London: what's on

Free cancer exercise programmes in London include yoga, Tai Chi and walking groups at the four London Maggie's centres, and free classes at Mulberry Cancer Support in Isleworth. You can also join monthly 5K Your Way parkrun groups or free online programmes from home.

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Cancer

Exercise after gynaecological cancer and hysterectomy

After surgery for gynaecological cancer, your team will want you up and moving as soon as possible, then walking gently every day and building up slowly.

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Cancer

Exercise after head and neck cancer: neck and shoulders

Exercise after head and neck cancer can help with the neck and shoulder problems that often follow surgery to the neck. In a trial of 52 survivors with shoulder problems after neck dissection, progressive strength training reduced shoulder pain and disability more than standard exercises.

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Cancer

Exercise with lung cancer: breathlessness and recovery

Exercise with lung cancer is possible for most people, before, during and after treatment, once your team has checked it is safe for you. After lung surgery, exercise training added about 57 metres to a six-minute walk in a Cochrane review.

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Cancer

Questions to ask your cancer team about exercise

The questions to ask your cancer team about exercise are simple: is activity safe for me now, what should I avoid, and can you refer me to support such as a clinical exercise physiologist?

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Cancer

Going back to work after cancer treatment: a UK guide

Going back to work after cancer treatment can be done gradually, often through a phased return planned with your employer. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 treats cancer as a disability from diagnosis, and employers must make reasonable adjustments.

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Cancer

Bone health after cancer treatment: protecting your bones

Bone health after cancer treatment matters because hormone therapies, an early menopause and high-dose steroids can thin bones and raise the risk of a fracture. Your NHS team may offer calcium and vitamin D or a bone-strengthening medicine.

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Cancer

Aromatase inhibitor joint pain: can exercise help?

Aromatase inhibitor joint pain is common, and regular exercise may ease it. In the HOPE trial of 121 previously inactive women with joint pain on an aromatase inhibitor, those given a year of brisk walking and supervised strength training reduced their worst pain by 29%.

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Cancer

Exercises for chemo neuropathy: numb feet and balance

Exercises for chemo neuropathy focus on balance, leg strength and safer aerobic activity such as an exercise bike. Trials suggest this training can improve balance, strength and quality of life after chemotherapy, although it does not always ease the numbness or tingling itself.

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Cancer

Weight gain after cancer treatment: why and what helps

Weight gain after cancer treatment is common. Steroids, chemotherapy, hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen, a treatment-induced menopause and being less active can all add weight. Macmillan advises that you keep taking your medication, eat a balanced diet, move more and lose weight gradually.

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Cancer

Eating well after cancer treatment: what to eat now

Eating well after cancer treatment means going back to a balanced diet: plenty of fruit, vegetables and fibre, some protein-rich foods, less red and processed meat, and little or no alcohol. In the UK, Macmillan advises reaching a healthy weight gradually.

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Cancer

Cancer support centres in London: what each one offers

Cancer support centres in London include four Maggie's centres, more than 20 Macmillan information and support centres, mostly in NHS hospitals, and independent charities such as The Mulberry Centre. Most are free and many need no appointment.

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Cancer

Exercise after cancer treatment: getting your fitness back

Once cancer treatment ends, most people can start building their activity back up, slowly and with advice from their healthcare team. The long-term UK target is the same as for everyone else: 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus strength work on two days.

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Cancer

Prehabilitation before cancer treatment: does it work?

Prehabilitation ("prehab") means getting fitter, better nourished and mentally prepared in the weeks before cancer surgery or other cancer treatment, so your body copes better with it.

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Cancer

Cancer exercise programmes in the UK: what to expect

A cancer exercise programme is a block of supervised exercise for people before, during or after cancer treatment. In the UK they are run by NHS hospital teams, cancer charities, leisure centres and some gym chains.

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Cancer

Can you exercise during chemotherapy? A UK guide

Yes. For most people, being physically active during chemotherapy is safe and recommended. Cancer Research UK and Macmillan both say activity during treatment is generally safe, and international guidelines advise regular aerobic and resistance exercise during active treatment.

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Cancer

Exercise after breast cancer: surgery to recovery

Yes, you can and should exercise after breast cancer. Gentle arm and shoulder exercises usually start the day after surgery, walking can begin as soon as you feel able, and supervised strength training is safe even if you have lymphoedema.

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Cancer

Exercise and prostate cancer: what the evidence says

Yes, exercise helps men with prostate cancer. NICE recommends supervised resistance and aerobic exercise for men on hormone therapy, and trials show it reduces fatigue, protects muscle and improves quality of life. Whether it prevents the disease or slows its growth is less certain.

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Cancer

Your cancer rehabilitation team: who does what in the UK

A cancer rehabilitation team is the group of people who help you stay as strong, well and independent as possible before, during and after treatment.

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Cancer

Exercise and cancer: is it safe, and what does it do?

Yes, exercise is safe for most people with cancer, before, during and after treatment. Macmillan, Cancer Research UK and the international ACSM guideline all say so, and no large trial has found that exercise makes cancer worse.

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Cancer

Nutrition during cancer treatment: when to see a dietitian

Eating well during cancer treatment helps you keep your weight and muscle, cope with side effects and recover. Cancer and its treatment often make eating harder, and unplanned weight loss is common.

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Cancer

Cancer-related fatigue and chemo fatigue: what helps

Cancer-related fatigue is exhaustion caused by cancer or its treatment that does not usually go away with sleep or rest. Research suggests it affects almost 65 in every 100 people with cancer. For most people it eases after treatment ends, but for some it lasts months or even years.

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Cancer

Exercise with ovarian, lung, blood and other cancers

Yes: for most people with ovarian, lung, blood, skin or other cancers, exercise is safe and recommended before, during and after treatment, as long as it is adjusted for weak bones, low blood counts, wounds or breathlessness.

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Cancer

Exercise and bowel cancer: the trial that changed the advice

Exercise helps at every stage of bowel cancer. Being active lowers the risk of colon cancer. In 2025 the CHALLENGE trial showed that a coached, three-year exercise programme after chemotherapy for colon cancer meant fewer people had their cancer come back.

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Cancer

Lymphoedema exercises after cancer: what is safe?

For most people, yes. The evidence, mostly from people with arm swelling after breast cancer, shows exercise is safe with lymphoedema, and the NHS lists regular exercise among the main ways to keep the swelling under control.

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Exercise physiology

Exercise for Parkinson's: why it's part of the treatment

Yes, exercise helps with Parkinson's, and in the UK it is treated as part of the treatment rather than an optional extra. Parkinson's UK says being active for 2.5 hours a week can help manage symptoms, and that it can be as important as getting the right dose of medication.

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Exercise physiology

Exercise and multiple sclerosis: fatigue, strength, balance

Yes, exercise helps MS. NICE tells clinicians to encourage people with MS to exercise, because regular exercise may benefit their MS and does not harm it. Trials show gains in fatigue, strength, walking and balance.

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Exercise physiology

Cardiac rehabilitation and exercise with heart disease

Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured NHS programme of supervised exercise, education and support after a heart attack, stent, bypass or a diagnosis of heart failure. It lowers your risk of another heart attack and of hospital admission, and it can be done at a centre, at home or a mix of both.

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Exercise physiology

Types of exercise professional in the UK: tiers explained

In the UK, "exercise professional" covers everything from a gym instructor to a hospital doctor. A physiotherapist is a statutorily regulated clinician who treats injury, illness and disability, with exercise at the heart of the job.

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Exercise physiology

Exercise for osteoporosis: what helps and what to avoid

Yes, you can and should exercise with osteoporosis. UK expert consensus recommends three things: resistance and impact exercise to strengthen bone, strength and balance training to prevent falls, and back-strengthening exercise for posture.

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Exercise physiology

Pulmonary rehab: exercise for COPD and lung conditions

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a supervised programme of exercise training and education for people whose lung condition leaves them breathless and limited. In the UK it usually runs for at least six weeks, with two group sessions a week.

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Exercise physiology

Exercise and diabetes: type 2, type 1 and prediabetes

Yes, people with diabetes can and should exercise. Regular activity helps your body use insulin better, lowers HbA1c, and helps some people with type 2 diabetes reach remission.

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Exercise physiology

Exercise referral schemes in the UK: how they work

An exercise referral scheme is a programme where your GP or another health professional refers you to a physical activity service because you are inactive and have a health condition or risk factor. You get an assessment, a tailored programme and supervised sessions, usually at a leisure centre.

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