Cancer Prevention Action Week 2024 took place on 19–25 February – when we invited people to take part and make a healthy choice become a habit.
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Are there moments in your day when you could move more? Stretches while you’re queuing for a coffee. Dancing in the kitchen while you cook.
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Promising research using UK data shows that even tiny amounts of activity can dramatically reduce cancer risk, which could be a game-changer for people who don’t like to exercise.
Find out why Liz, Caroline, Cath and Tanya are getting behind Cancer Prevention Action Week 2024:
Liz Nuttall, 73, is from Ulverston in Cumbria. She says:
To me, motivation is absolutely key to ensure I keep on the move. Each day I try to keep on my feet as much as possible.
“Around the house, climbing the stairs provides a handy, free mini workout. I also make a point of walking the 10 minutes into town at least once a day. I’m lucky that shops and local amenities are all fairly close by.
“I hadn’t heard of exercise snacking before but they definitely make me feel good. It’s great to know that being active throughout my day is good for my health, including helping reduce my risk of cancer.”
Caroline Ngari, 44, lives in Belgium and is from Kenya. She says:
“I’m the mother of 3 children. Before I had children I was quite active, went to the gym and ate relatively healthy. Now I’m a stay-at-home mum and, since I started having children, I went to the gym less. With every child, it got even harder to find the time. I do try to eat healthy whenever I can, but in terms of exercise I’ve realised I have to do it out of the gym, and find informal ways to move.
“I’ve tried exercise snacking here and there, but I’ve not been consistent. I decided to always do some movement when brushing my teeth. It’s worked well for me – if I’m very tired I just pace around while brushing. When I have some energy, I do something like lunges or dance moves while brushing.
“I would like to get to a point where I commit to doing short bursts of movement throughout the day, as I believe it’s very beneficial.”
I look forward to being part of Cancer Prevention Action Week as I want this to be the year that I get my fitness and energy back.
Cath, 74, is from Richmond in London. She says:
“I used to do squats while the kettle boiled but had to stop when one knee went wonky. So nowadays I don’t do anything ‘quirky’, just a morning stretching session while listening to Farming Today … at 8.30am not 6am!
“When I take the escalator, unless I’m carrying a heavy bag, I always walk up. Some of the London Underground ones are really long so they do represent quite a work-out.”
I try to walk or cycle as much as possible and always use the bus or train rather than the car.
Tanya Haffner is the CEO of MyNutriWeb. She says:
“Micro changes to how we live if done consistently are so much more achievable and therefore impactful.
“I now do jogging on the spot when the kettle boils and a round of weights – my weights are now left by the kettle!”
Changing behaviour is like swimming against the tide in the systems that we all live.
Be inspired to move more – today!
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