If you need a little nudge to remind you to get up and move around a bit more, here’s some motivation: Even just a little bit of exercise can help prevent many different kinds of cancer.
"Exercise lowers the risk of about 13 different types of cancer including the common cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, (and) uterine cancer," Dr. Natalie Marshall, medical director of the UCSF Cancer Center in Berkeley, told KCBS Radio's "As Prescribed" on Thursday.
"For instance, it can lower your insulin level and that can decrease your risk of getting certain types of cancer," she explained. "Exercise also helps us with stress reduction, helps us sleep, helps decrease anxiety."
All of that helps to lower levels of the stress hormones that can promote cancer.
Dr. Marshall said even if you are starting from zero, doing something is always better than doing nothing.
"I think this concept of exercise snacks," she said, "Which is when you take little breaks and instead of going to the kitchen, you do maybe ten push-ups on the wall or on the table or on your knees."
Other small changes you can make to help decrease your cancer risk include adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet and cutting down on alcohol.
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