This post is sponsored by the American Cancer Society; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Cancer is a scary word, especially since many of us associate cancer with someone we love who has struggled with cancer.
I’ll never forget when I was 13 years old and my aunt passed away from breast cancer. It was pretty terrifying, to be honest. Since I was so young at the time, all I thought about was how it was hurting me and my cousins. Now, as an adult and a mom, I can’t even begin to imagine how she was feeling knowing she had to leave her four kids behind.
This thought alone has made me look in to cancer prevention tips, because I want to be around for my kids as long as possible. I want to see them grow old, I want them to have their mother through important milestones and I want them to have tons of sweet memories as a family. So if I can simply do my part to help lower my cancer risk- why not?
Since February is National Cancer Prevention month, I’m working with the American Cancer Society to bring you tips about things that can help you reduce your risk of cancer.
As a matter of fact, all of these tips complement each other so they do not even take up much of your time!
6 Cancer Prevention Tips
- Maintain a healthy weight by eating well and staying active. Being overweight or obese is linked to an increased risk of many cancers, so not only can maintaining a healthy weight lower your risk of cancer but it can also lower your risk of many other health issues like diabetes.
- Exercise. American Cancer Recommends at least 150 minute a week of moderate or 75 of vigorous or a combo of the two, spread throughout the week. Staying active throughout the week can help lower your risk of cancer, so you can start off by taking walks and then picking up the pace as you adjust. You can also hit the gym or throw on a quick workout video. It doesn’t matter how you stay active, it just matters that you are active!
- If you sit at work all day, try getting up and walking around every hour. Sitting for long periods of time has been linked to higher risks of certain cancers, so it’s important to get up when you can. Take breaks from your desk work and walk around the office, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to buy your lunch instead of driving or walk to a coworkers desk instead of calling or emailing them.
- Eat healthy to help you maintain a weight that is healthy for you. Let me tell you, eating well doesn’t have to mean spending several hours in the kitchen. There are tons of quick and easy no cook snacks you can prepare in advance. The simplest way to think of eating clean is to do most of your shopping in the produce and lean meat aisles instead of the inner aisles that our packed with packaged and processed, sugary foods.
- Avoid the sun. Always use a 30+ SPF sunscreen when outdoors, even if it’s not extremely hot or sunny. When we’re going out for walks or runs, it’s easy to forget to throw on some sunblock. Just make this a part of your routine until you do it habitually. Most skin cancers are the direct result of exposure to UV rays from the sun, so this is important. It’s also good to note it’s not only about sunscreen. Wear a hat, sunglasses, sun protective clothing, and do your best to seek the shade.
- Get screened to help find certain cancers early, when it might be easier to treat. You can find more information on cancer screening here.
Also, be sure to let your kids see you doing these things and even incorporate them. Take them on walks with you, show them that if they’re sitting for too long it’s time to have a dance party and let them help you make healthy meals in the kitchen while explaining how important it is for them to eat well.
This will help create healthy habits early on to also help them lower their risks of cancer in the long run.
Check out the American Cancer Society’s “Stay Healthy” information for more tips, and let me know if you also have any additional tips!
Xoxo,
Jessica
