Exercise Program to improve mental-wellbeing
We offer a free, personalised 12-week aerobic exercise program for adults living with cancer. Created to support mental well-being, the program uses gentle and manageable movement to help ease feelings of anxiety and low mood while building routine, confidence and a greater sense of control.
A personalised 12-week aerobic exercise program for older adults living with cancer
Cancer can affect far more than the body. Psychiatric disorders affect approximately 30% to 35% of people with cancer during the course of their illness. (1) Feelings of anxiety, sadness, uncertainty and isolation are common, but they do not always receive the same attention as the physical effects of cancer.
There is growing evidence that movement can help. A 2025 review of 27 randomized clinical trials involving 1,929 older adults with cancer found that exercise was associated with moderate improvements in depression and health-related quality of life, together with small-to-moderate improvements in anxiety. (2) Programs lasting at least 12 weeks were also associated with greater reductions in depressive symptoms. (2)
A program designed around you
This 12-week program uses gentle, progressive aerobic movement to support mental well-being alongside existing cancer care.
There is no single activity, pace or routine that is right for everyone. Your plan will be shaped around your:
Current treatment and medical history
Energy levels and treatment-related symptoms
Strength, mobility and balance
Bone, joint, heart and lung health
Exercise experience
Personal goals and preferred activities
Day-to-day response to treatment
Evidence-based cancer-exercise guidance commonly works toward moderate aerobic exercise approximately three times per week for at least 30 minutes, but this is a goal—not a required starting point.3 Someone who is fatigued or has not exercised recently may begin with only a few minutes of gentle movement and regular rest breaks.
On difficult days, slowing down, shortening a session or resting is part of the program. Do not feel the need to push yourself and complete it, which may strain your body.
Finding the right form of aerobic movement
Research has not established that one aerobic activity is best for a particular type of cancer. Instead, the activity should be selected according to the person’s mobility, symptoms, treatment effects, safety needs and preferences. (3,4)
Does heart rate matter?
It is normal for your heart rate to rise during aerobic exercise. However, there is no single heart-rate number that is safe or appropriate for every person with cancer.
What a session may look like
Each session will be adjusted to the individual, but may include:
A pre-session symptom and safety check
Five to ten minutes of gentle warming up
Aerobic movement performed continuously or in short intervals
Rest breaks whenever needed
A gradual cool-down
Optional mindful breathing or relaxation
Mindful movement and relaxation are included because the 2025 review found encouraging mental-health outcomes from interventions combining physical movement with mindfulness. (2) These elements complement the aerobic activity rather than replace it.
How movement may help
Regular aerobic exercise may help to:
Ease symptoms of depression and anxiety
Improve overall quality of life
Reduce cancer-related fatigue
Support sleep and daily functioning
Create a comforting sense of routine
Rebuild confidence in what your body can do
Provide moments of calm, independence and control
Exercise does not remove the uncertainty of cancer, and participants will never be asked to simply “push through” pain, exhaustion or distress. The purpose is to create a manageable routine that meets each person where they are.
When exercise should be paused
Do not begin a session without further advice if you have:
A fever or signs of infection
New dizziness, faintness or unsteadiness
A recent fall or near fall
New or unexplained bone pain
Severe or unusual fatigue
Uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhoea
New bleeding or significant unexplained bruising
Instructions from your care team to limit activity because of blood counts or another medical concern
Stop exercising immediately if you experience chest pain or pressure, faintness, severe or unusual shortness of breath, a new irregular or racing heartbeat, blurred vision, confusion, sudden swelling or sharp bone pain. Seek urgent medical care when symptoms are severe or do not resolve promptly.
Progress, not performance
This program is not about speed, distance or reaching a particular fitness level. It is about finding movement that feels safe, meaningful and sustainable.
Your plan can change throughout the 12 weeks as your treatment schedule, symptoms and energy change. Some weeks may involve progressing. Others may involve doing less. Both are valid parts of the process.
Wherever you are starting from, you do not have to start alone.
Important safety information
This program complements—not replaces—cancer treatment, physiotherapy, cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation, or professional mental-health care.
Before starting, participants will complete a health, symptom, mobility and fall-risk screening. People with peripheral neuropathy, poor bone health, lymphedema, severe fatigue, nutritional problems, recent surgery, heart or lung disease, balance difficulties, advanced cancer or bone metastases may require medical evaluation and referral to an appropriately qualified professional.3,4
Programs should be developed or reviewed by an oncology physiotherapist, clinical exercise physiologist or another professional with appropriate cancer-exercise training. Exercise should never be used as a substitute for counselling, psychological therapy, medication or urgent mental-health support when these are needed.
References
Caruso R, Breitbart W. Mental health care in oncology: contemporary perspective on the psychosocial burden of cancer and evidence-based interventions. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e86. doi:10.1017/S2045796019000866
Soong RY, Low CE, Ong V, et al. Exercise interventions for depression, anxiety, and quality of life in older adults with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(2):e2457859. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57859
Campbell KL, Winters-Stone KM, Wiskemann J, et al. Exercise guidelines for cancer survivors: consensus statement from international multidisciplinary roundtable. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019;51(11):2375-2390. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000002116
Winters-Stone KM, Meyers G, Eckstrom E, et al. Exercise recommendations for older adults living with and beyond cancer: a consensus statement by the Advancing Capacity to Integrate Exercise Into the Care of Older Cancer Survivors expert panel. Cancer. 2026;132(2):e70252. doi:10.1002/cncr.70252
American Cancer Society. Physical activity when you have cancer. Updated November 12, 2025. Accessed August 23, 2026.
Campbell KL, Cormie P, Weller S, et al. Exercise recommendation for people with bone metastases: expert consensus for health care providers and exercise professionals. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022;18(5):e697-e709. doi:10.1200/OP.21.00454
Voß J, Leps C, Gockel I, et al. Perceived exertion for guiding and monitoring exercise intensity in unsupervised, home-based cancer rehabilitation: an analysis of 3533 exercise sessions. BMC Cancer. 2026;26:130. doi:10.1186/s12885-026-15588-0
American Heart Association. How do beta blocker drugs affect exercise?. Reviewed January 18, 2024. Accessed August 23, 2026.
Packel L. Aerobic exercise program during and after cancer treatment. OncoLink. Reviewed December 31, 2025. Accessed August 23, 2026.
Ligibel JA, Bohlke K, May AM, et al. Exercise, diet, and weight management during cancer treatment: ASCO guideline. J Clin Oncol. 2022;40(22):2491-2507. doi:10.1200/JCO.22.00687