Exercise and Cancer Care in Brisbane: An Appointment You Look Forward To

A cancer diagnosis changes a great deal, and how you’re feeling matters as much as what you do. Some days you’ll have energy, some days very little, and both are welcome here.

Exercise never replaces your medical treatment, it works alongside it. Your oncology team leads your care, we stay in touch with them, and we work within their advice.

Bodytrack offers a calm, supportive space, and for a lot of people it brings back a sense of control and achievement at a time when so much feels out of their hands. For some of our cancer clients, this means exercise appointments have become more like something they look forward to, and less like a medical necessity.

We start with you, and how you’re feeling that day, then the exercise is built around that. There’s a place to begin at every stage, whether you’re about to start treatment, in the thick of it, or recovering afterwards.

Why exercise is now part of cancer care

For a long time, people going through cancer treatment were told to rest. The evidence now points firmly the other way. Rest is sometimes necessary, but long stretches of inactivity tend to deepen fatigue, and prescribed exercise is one of the most effective non-drug treatments we have for it.

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia calls for exercise “to be embedded as part of standard practice in cancer care”, prescribed by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist or physiotherapist with experience in cancer care. Research from overseas backs our local guidance: in 2022 the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommended aerobic and resistance exercise during active treatment, and the American Cancer Society published updated physical activity guidance for cancer survivors.

Each year, around 170,000 Australians are diagnosed with cancer. Yet reports indicate that 60 – 70% of people with cancer don’t reach the recommended amount of aerobic exercise, and an estimated 80 – 90% don’t do the recommended resistance training. Often that’s not for lack of trying, but because nobody has shown them what’s safe and possible for their body, on their treatment, at their stage.

That’s where we come in.

What the right exercise can help with

The strongest evidence for exercise during and after cancer treatment covers some of the hardest parts:

Cancer-related fatigue: one of the most common and draining side effects
Physical function: including your fitness, strength and ability to do everyday things
Psychological distress: including anxiety and low mood
Quality of life: across general health and cancer-specific measures

There’s also good evidence that people with cancer who exercise experience fewer or less severe side effects from treatment. And the picture is moving quickly when it comes to recurrence and survival. A major international trial reported in 2025 that a structured exercise program improved survival for people who had finished treatment for high-risk colon cancer. It’s early, and we don’t yet know whether the same holds across other cancers, but it’s the strongest sign so far that exercise may do more than help you feel better.

How much exercise is recommended

Australian guidelines ask people with cancer to avoid inactivity and return to normal daily activities as soon as they’re able, then build towards 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise each week (or half that if it’s vigorous), plus two to three resistance sessions targeting the major muscle groups.

It’s important to consider those numbers as a destination, not a starting line. For many people in treatment they aren’t the right place to begin. Your Accredited Exercise Physiologist works out where to start and how to build, and the program flexes with you: on a stronger day we do a little more, on a harder day we ease right back. On the hardest weeks, a program might be a few gentle 5-10 minute bouts spread through the day. That still counts, and it still helps.

Exercising safely through treatment

Treatment changes what’s sensible from one week to the next, and your program moves with it. If your blood counts are low, what’s safe depends on which ones, since low iron, low platelets and low infection-fighting cells each call for different care. We might ease back, adjust the exercise, or pause for a little while, always in step with your team. If cancer has affected your bones, we keep those areas out of harm’s way and build your strength around them, working with your oncology team on what’s right for you. Chemotherapy can leave your hands and feet numb or tingling, so we adjust your balance work, your equipment and your footing to keep you steady. And if you have a fever or an infection, exercise pauses until it’s cleared, and we build back gently once your team is happy.

Through all of it, one thing stays constant: anything new or unusual goes back to your treating team before we carry on.

How an Accredited Exercise Physiologist helps

An Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) is a university-qualified allied health professional, accredited through Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), who prescribes exercise as clinical treatment for people with health conditions. For people with cancer, your AEP will get to know your diagnosis, your treatment and how you’re feeling, assess what’s safe before you start, design a program that fits where you are in treatment, adjust it week to week as that changes, and stay in touch with your treating team so everything works together.

Exercise is medicine, and here it’s prescribed for you, somewhere you feel looked after.

Starting, wherever you are

Starting earlier often means exercise can carry you through treatment, not only help you recover from it, but there’s no wrong time to begin. Whatever kind of day you’re having, we’ll take the first step with you. We also offer a free 15-minute consultation if you’d like to talk it through first.

Bodytrack’s exercise programs are evidence-based and tailored to everyone. Chronic health conditions may be eligible for referral under Medicare’s GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, and private health fund eligibility may apply.

Ready to start? You can Book Online, Send a Message or Call Us.

Frequently asked questions

Can you exercise during chemotherapy?

Yes, for most people, and Australian oncology guidance recommends it. The program is prescribed around your treatment: on low-energy weeks it might be a few gentle five-to-ten minute sessions, and it pauses altogether during fever or infection. An Accredited Exercise Physiologist assesses what’s safe for you and stays in touch with your oncology team.

How much exercise is recommended for people with cancer?

Australian guidelines recommend avoiding inactivity, then building towards two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise a week plus two to three resistance sessions. That’s a goal to work towards, not a starting requirement, and your program starts wherever you are.

Does exercise help with cancer fatigue?

Yes. Exercise is one of the most effective non-drug treatments for cancer-related fatigue. Rest has its place, but long stretches of inactivity tend to deepen fatigue, so the key is the right dose for your day, which is what an individually prescribed program gives you.

Do I need my oncologist’s approval to start?

We assess your safety before you start and communicate with your treating team as part of your care, so everything works together. If anything in your treatment changes, or anything new or unusual comes up, we check with your team before continuing.

When should I start, before, during or after treatment?

There’s a place to begin at every stage. Starting before or early in treatment often means exercise helps carry you through it, and starting afterwards helps you rebuild strength, energy and confidence. Either way, we start with how you’re feeling and build from there.

Helpful resources

Sources

Clinical Oncology Society of Australia: position statement on exercise in cancer care, 2018, updated 2020: exercise as part of standard cancer care, and the weekly activity targets
Exercise and Sports Science Australia: Hayes et al., Exercise medicine in cancer management, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2019: cancer-related fatigue, and safety adjustments during treatment
American Society of Clinical Oncology: Ligibel et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2022: aerobic and resistance exercise during active treatment
American Cancer Society: Rock et al., CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2022: physical activity guidance for cancer survivors
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Cancer data in Australia: new cancer diagnoses each year