“Exercise is medicine.” That’s the motto of a long-running public health campaign from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Now, the group, along with the American Cancer Society and more than a dozen other organizations, has published cancer-specific guidelines. The conclusion: 

Exercise should be standard treatment for people with cancer.

Exercising during and after cancer treatment, the guidelines say, is associated with improved survival for people with breast, colorectal or prostate cancer—and possibly others. Staying active also reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression and can help counter cancer-related fatigue. 

But you don’t have to go it alone. A growing cadre of health professionals are trained in cancer-specific fitness. Find an individual or a group in your area through the new search tool developed by ACSM: ExerciseIsMedicine.org/cancer_exercise.php.