Lifestyle and well-being after treatment
A healthy lifestyle can help you recover after treatment. It can also help to reduce the risk of other illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes and strokes.
Improving your well-being after cancer treatment
After treatment, you may decide to think about ways to improve your well-being and long-term health. This could be part of your recovery. Your cancer team and GP can give you advice about this.
You could ask if there are any health and well-being clinics or events in your area. These could give you support and advice on diet, lifestyle and adjusting to life after cancer treatment.
There are different things you can do that may have a positive effect on your health and well-being.
Related pages
Be more active
During treatment, you may be less active than usual. This can make you feel more tired. It can also make your muscles lose some strength. Doing a small amount of physical activity regularly, such as going for a short walk, will give you more energy and make you feel stronger. You can gradually build up how much activity you do. Doing too much too soon can make you feel more tired.
Gradually doing more physical activity is an important part of your recovery. It can also improve your long-term health and well-being.
During treatment, you may be less active than usual. This can make you feel more tired. It can also make your muscles lose some strength. Doing a small amount of physical activity regularly will give you more energy and make you feel stronger. This includes going for a short walk.
Some hospitals, cancer charities and leisure clubs have exercise programmes for people recovering from treatment. Your cancer team can tell you what is available in your area.
Your cancer team or GP can advise you on the type and amount of exercise that is safe for you to do. Some people may need to take special care when exercising.
Being more physically active:
- helps look after your bones
- helps manage tiredness (fatigue)
- helps you keep to a healthy weight
- improves your mood and emotional well-being
- reduces stress and anxiety
- reduces the risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis)
- reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
- reduces the risk of certain cancers coming back, or of getting another cancer
- increases your confidence.
You can slowly increase how much activity you do. Doing too much too soon can make you feel more tired.
We have more information about being physically active after cancer treatment.
Related pages
Eat healthily
Eating healthily helps your recovery and gives you more energy. If your treatment has caused eating problems, follow the advice of your cancer team or dietitian.
For most people, a healthy, balanced diet includes:
- lots of fruit and vegetables
- plenty of starchy foods (carbohydrates), such as rice, potatoes, bread, pasta and couscous
- wholegrains rather than refined (processed) grains
- some protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts and pulses (like beans and lentils)
- some milk and dairy foods, such as cheese, butter and yoghurt
- a limited amount of red meat and processed meat
- a small amount of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
Some treatments may cause changes in how your bowel works. These include surgery to the bowel or radiotherapy to the pelvis. For some people, this may mean a diet that is high in fibre (fruit and vegetables) may not be suitable.
Related pages
Booklets and resources
Keep to a healthy weight
Some cancer treatments may cause changes to your weight. After treatment, try to focus on eating healthily to help your recovery. If you are worried about your weight, ask your cancer team for advice. They can arrange for you to visit a dietitian if needed.
Weight gain
Some people gain weight during chemotherapy or when taking hormonal therapies. If this happens, you may find it upsetting. It may also affect your body image.
If you need to lose weight, it is important to do this slowly. You can do this by eating a healthy diet and being more physically active. Try to be patient with yourself and set realistic goals.
Keeping to a healthy weight has lots of benefits. It reduces the risk of other medical conditions. We have more information about healthy eating and managing weight gain.
Weight loss
If you have lost weight or are having difficulty eating, ask your cancer team for advice. There are different ways to add calories and more nutrients to food. There are also nutritional drinks and powders to help increase your weight. Some of these can be prescribed by your doctor.
We have more information about ways to build up your diet.
Stop smoking
If you smoke, stopping is the healthiest decision you can make. It can reduce the side effects of some treatments. Stopping can also help you to heal faster after surgery.
Smoking increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and developing new cancers. It can also make certain late effects of treatment worse. These can include bladder and bowel problems.
It is not always easy to quit smoking. It may take you a few tries. But there are lots of tools and resources to make stopping easier. The first steps are:
- asking your cancer doctor, nurse, GP or other healthcare professional for advice
- contacting your local stop smoking service.
You are 4 times more likely to quit if you have specialist support from a stop smoking service and use:
- products such as nicotine replacement therapies
- medicines to manage cravings.
The NHS has a lot of information and support to help you stop smoking. Visit the NHS website to find services for the country where you live.
Follow sensible drinking guidelines
Alcohol is linked with an increased risk of some cancers. It can also lead to weight gain. Following sensible drinking guidelines is good for your overall health.
NHS guidelines suggest you should:
- not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol in a week
- spread the alcohol units you drink in a week over 3 or more days
- try to have several alcohol-free days every week.
A unit of alcohol is:
- ½ pint of ordinary-strength beer, lager or cider
- 1 small glass (125ml) of wine
- a single measure (25ml) of spirits.
There is more information about alcohol and drinking guidelines at drinkaware.co.uk.
Take care of your skin in the sun
Some cancer treatments can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. This includes:
- radiotherapy
- some types of chemotherapy
- targeted therapy
- immunotherapies.
It is always important to protect your skin in the sun to help reduce the risk of skin cancer.
We have tips for protecting your skin in the sun.
Health and well-being clinics
You may be invited to a health and well-being clinic. At the clinic, you can find out more about healthy living and local support that is available. There are usually different workshops and talks. They happen in a hospital or in the community and usually last a few hours.
Health and well-being clinics can be a good way to meet people in a similar situation to you. They usually provide information about:
- eating well and having a healthy lifestyle
- possible long-term effects of treatment
- emotional effects and how to get help if you need it
- signs and symptoms to look out for, and who to contact if they happen
- claiming benefits and other financial support
- getting back to work or education
- local services, such as support groups and physical activity groups.
Find ways to reduce stress
Finding ways to reduce stress and anxiety can be helpful. It may help to:
- talk about your feelings with family, friends, a healthcare professional or people going through a similar experience
- do things you enjoy, such as spending time with family or friends, or getting back to hobbies you did before treatment
- do regular physical activity, such as walking, cycling and swimming
- try complementary therapies, such as relaxation, meditation and yoga.
Find out what suits you best. Your recovery will take time, so know your limits. Try to ask for help when you need it.
Try to get good sleep
Tips for a better night’s sleep
- Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day.
- Try not to sleep late into the day after a sleepless night, as this can lead to a disrupted sleep pattern.
- Try to do gentle exercise like walking, as this can help you feel naturally tired and ready for sleep.
- Try a relaxing routine before bed. Having a warm bath or shower, reading a book or listening to soothing music might help.
- Make your bedroom a relaxing place to be. Create an area that is dark, quiet and comfortable, but not too warm.
- Be aware of how naps affect you. Some people find that daytime naps help them sleep better at night, while others sleep less well after them.
- It may help to write down any worries before you go to bed so that you can try to forget about them until the next day.
- Alcohol and caffeine can stop you from falling asleep. Try to cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime.
We have more information if you are having trouble sleeping.
Related pages
Booklets and resources
About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our after treatment information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk
ESMO Expert Consensus Statements on Cancer Survivorship: promoting high-quality survivorship care and research in Europe. Published: 10 August 2022. Annals of Oncology (accessed April 2023).
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Survivorship: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. Published: October 2018; 16 (10): 1216–1247.
Date reviewed
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This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:
- use plain English
- explain medical words
- use short sentences
- use illustrations to explain text
- structure the information clearly
- make sure important points are clear.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.