What are some minimum exercise goals myeloma patients should try to attain?
The American Cancer Society and the American College of Sports Medicine have actually formally made guidelines for all cancer patients that recommend, at a minimum 30 minutes of exercise three times a week, and historically, up to 150 minutes of exercise per week with dedicated strength activities.
It's a little different for our myeloma patients, though, because one of the diagnostic features of myeloma that affects the majority of our patients are lytic bone lesions, so tumors of the bone.
So exercise is recommended, but there may be some special guidance provided to myeloma patients on exercise.
Exercise has been studied in myeloma patients, albeit in very few studies, and has been found to be safe and beneficial to things like mood and quality of life.
It's an area that we need to study more in myeloma. So when you actually look at the data and we'd love to be data-driven in academic practice, there are very few studies. There are a handful of them, and they are good studies that suggest it's safe even in transplant patients.
But again, it's a guided decision and we really I really encourage people more so than anything, to avoid inactivity.
And so, important take-home point for me is exercise is recommended, but for more people, inactivity is something you want to avoid. Try and stay busy. Try and keep moving. If there's an opportunity to stand up and talk on your cell phone versus sitting down, take that opportunity and look for maybe the further parking spots so you can walk a little bit longer if you're going to the store trying to find ways to just incorporate movement into your day.
And, there is a phenomenon in cancer where, when you were first diagnosed, people want to do things for you. And sometimes you need them done for you. But sometimes it's an instinct. And I would say challenge yourself to keep doing those things as long as you can to keep yourself as healthy as you can.
HealthTree • September 14, 2025