ACE, or the Alberta Cancer Exercise program is being offered to people living with or beyond cancer. Participants attend twice a week for 12 weeks and learn from ACE exercise instructors who have received cancer-specific education and training.
Until now, in Alberta, exercise has not been part of the routine clinical care of individuals with cancer. ACE was created because strong research evidence supports the benefit of exercise to improve symptoms related to cancer at every stage of treatment and recovery.
Program participant Mike McCague was diagnosed with a form of cancer lymphoma in 2021 and went through radiation and chemotherapies, “which seems to have taken care of the cancer part.”
“But I did have a fair bit of lung damage from the chemo, so I have a bit of a problem with breathing when I’m exercising. I’ve been coming here since late 2021 every Tuesday and Thursday and it really works well for me,” says McCague.
Since starting the program, McCague has noticed improvements in walking distance, flexibility and balance. “My balance wasn’t good. At my age, a guy needs to work on his balance. These classes have really helped in that area.”
Another benefit the ACE program offers, McCague notes, is being a part of a community. “You get to know the other people in the group. As a result of being in this group, I ended up in a group called the ‘Go-Getters,’ which is a cancer support group for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers and we meet three times a month. That’s really been a big help, especially for the mental part of the disease.”
The ACE program is offered by Lethbridge College’s Be Fit for Life Centre, in collaboration with a research program at the University of Calgary.