MyExerciseMedicine for Cancer

MyExerciseMedicine for Cancer By Robert U. Newton, PhD, DSc, AEP, FAHMS, FESSA, FACSM, FNSCA Exercise is not an optional extra in cancer care—exercise is medicine. For decades, people with cancer were advised to rest. Today the evidence is clear: appropriately prescribed exercise improves treatment tolerance, reduces side effects, preserves muscle and bone, enhances immune function, and improves long-term outcomes. It also influences tumour biology, oxygenation, metabolic signalling, and systemic inflammation in ways that contribute to a more cancer-suppressive internal environment. Exercise not only helps patients feel better—it can enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy when dosed and timed correctly. In this comprehensive and accessible guide, world-leading exercise oncology researcher Professor Robert Newton explains why exercise functions as a medical therapy and how to apply it safely and precisely at every stage of cancer care. Drawing on personal experience as well as decades of scientific investigation and clinical practice, MyExerciseMedicine for Cancer translates complex physiology and oncology into clear, practical strategies for patients, survivors, and carers. You will learn how to: Use resistance and aerobic exercise to protect muscle, bone, cardiovascular, and metabolic health Reduce fatigue, neuropathy, treatment toxicity, and functional decline Coordinate exercise with cancer treatments to improve tolerance and potential treatment response Apply principles of intensity, volume, progression, and autoregulation tailored to your symptoms Adjust programs across chemotherapy cycles, radiation courses, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, and periods of low energy Build a cancer-suppressive environment through structured exercise, optimised nutrition, recovery, and sleep Understand advanced concepts such as cachexia, tumour hypoxia, myokine signalling, impact loading, immune mobilisation, and precision exercise oncology The book includes: Step-by-step training plans for different treatment phases Safety screening guidance and red-flag thresholds Specific strategies for bone metastases, lymphedema, neuropathy, and advanced disease Decision tools for modifying exercise on difficult days Case studies demonstrating personalised prescription across a range of cancers and treatments Written in clear, evidence-based language, this book equips readers with the knowledge needed to use exercise as a targeted therapy—independently or alongside a clinical exercise physiologist. Your body maintains the ability to adapt throughout cancer treatment. This book shows you how to harness that capacity with clarity, precision, and confidence.