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Sami (Papacek) Mansfield: Why is muscle health so important among cancer survivers?

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield/LinkedIn

Dec 21, 2024, 08:18

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield: Why is muscle health so important among cancer survivers?

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield, founder of Cancer Wellness for Life, posted on LinkedIn:

“If I had to pick just one type of exercise for life—it’s resistance training.

Why? Because building and maintaining muscle isn’t just about strength—it’s about health, especially when it comes to preventing Type 2 diabetes, which impacts 1 in 5 cancer survivors.

Here’s why muscle health is so important:

Muscles handle 80-90% of glucose uptake after meals. If they become resistant to insulin, it’s one of the first steps toward diabetes.
Research shows that insulin resistance in muscles happens years before high blood sugar appears—making muscle health a key part of prevention.
As we age, we naturally lose muscle, which makes insulin resistance worse.

And for cancer survivors, this muscle loss happens even faster due to treatment side effects. New data suggests that the loss in the first year after diagnosis is equivalent to a decade of natural again!

Muscle loss and weight gain makes resistance training even more important for recovery and long-term health.

Resistance training isn’t optional—it’s essential. It helps you rebuild and maintain muscle, fight insulin resistance, and support overall metabolic health.

The best part? You don’t need to spend hours in the gym. Simple, consistent strength exercises can make all the difference.

What’s your go-to way to stay strong? Share your tips—I’d love to hear!
Want to learn more about how resistance training can transform your health? Message me for some helpful resources.
Share this post if you believe muscle health should be a top priority. Let’s spread the word together!

Need more resources? Check out our YouTube for weekly NEW exercise videos and see when we drop our 10 week exercise program as part of our newest addition to our program!

Read More!”

Read Further.

Sami (Papacek) Mansfield is the founder of Cancer Wellness for Life. She’s been a certified cancer exercise specialist since 2003 and has dedicated her career to implementing evidence-based lifestyle education, resources and tools into cancer care for both the patients and the providers. She is also a Chair of Cancer Member Interest Group, at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Breast Cancer Taskforce Co-Chair at Colorado Cancer Coalition.