Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of several types of cancers, with a greater risk associated with more excess weight. By maintaining a healthy weight as recommended by your doctor, you could cut your chances of developing certain cancers, including breast, colon, uterine, ovarian, pancreatic and thyroid cancer. If you're overweight, set small weight-loss goals that are more achievable than one larger goal. Work with your health care provider for recommendations on losing weight and help monitoring your progress.
Regular physical activity helps keep your body strong and healthy as well as making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Being more active is often associated with reduced cancer risks as well. The general guideline is to get in at least 150 minutes every week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Exceeding that recommendation could boost your health even more.
In your retirement years, you have more time to get moving during the day. You have several options for staying fit at home, such as exercise videos and chair exercises. At Bethesda Gardens Arlington, you can participate in exercise programs, stay active with group outings or walk around the grounds with friends to stay active. Spread your exercise minutes throughout the day and try out different activities to keep exercise interesting.
Another way to maintain a healthy weight and support your overall health is by consuming a generally healthy diet. Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake along with whole grains creates a plant-focused diet that could help protect you from cancer. Some superfood options that could support your overall health include leafy greens, berries and nuts. Letting yourself splurge occasionally helps you feel satisfied while mostly consuming a nutritious diet.
Don't forget about your beverages when you're considering your diet. Limit sugary drinks in favor of more water to keep yourself healthier overall. It's also important to limit or avoid alcohol to keep your risk of developing cancer lower. Drinking more alcohol can increase your risk of some types of cancer.
Using tobacco puts you at risk for several types of cancers, including lung cancer. The chemicals in cigarette smoke can also affect your immune system, making it more difficult for your body to fight off abnormal cancer cells. They can change the DNA of cells and cause them to grow faster and form a tumor as well. By kicking the habit, you cut your overall cancer risks.
Even if you quit later in life, you can still see a reduced risk of cancer. For example, your risk of developing mouth, throat or voice box cancer is cut in half within 5 to 10 years of quitting. The risk of lung cancer is cut in half after 10 to 15 years of quitting. Find support for quitting tobacco and reduce your exposure to secondhand smoke to start lowering your risk of cancer.
The rate of new melanoma cases increases with age. At 45 to 49 years of age, the rate is 21.2 per 100,000 people. From ages 60 to 64, it increases to 50.7, and from ages 70 to 74, it jumps to 84.5. At the same time, many older adults skip sun protection, which can help prevent melanoma. Fewer than half of older adults take proper skin protection steps when they're in the sun for an hour or longer.
To lower your risks of skin cancer, protect your skin every time you head outdoors, even when it's cloudy or cold. Arlington offers many sunny days, which makes it enticing to go outside, but it also means you need to be serious about protecting your skin. Easy ways to do this include:
Routine physicals and cancer screenings help your health care provider monitor your health and notice changes that could indicate a problem. Pap tests for women can detect abnormal cervical cells that could develop into cancer. Colonoscopies could help your doctor spot precancerous polyps. This allows your medical team to treat the situation to prevent cancer from developing.
In some cases, the screening reveals that cancerous cells are already present. Even though you can't prevent cancer in these situations, you can receive treatment earlier when your chances of success are higher.
Routine physicals can also help your doctor identify risk factors for cancer. Your doctor might recommend changes to your lifestyle or medical care to lower those risks. Visiting the doctor regularly helps them keep a record of your health situation to know what's normal for you. They can also offer personalized medical advice based on that health history.
