Home exercise program

Suggested

2 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 21, 2026

Suggested2 studies

Home exercise programs reduce psychological distress and improve fitness in breast cancer patients

Across 2 studies involving 88 breast cancer patients, structured home exercise programs demonstrated meaningful benefits during and after treatment. A quasi-experimental study (n=56) found that 20-30 minutes of home exercise, 3-5 days per week over 9 weeks, significantly reduced stress (7.25 vs 10.82), anxiety (4.07 vs 7.07), and depression (3.82 vs 7.32) compared to routine care during chemotherapy (all P<0.01). A randomized controlled trial (n=32) of a six-month home-based physical activity intervention showed likely beneficial effects on cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇O2max effect sizes d=.40-.44) and increased total and moderate physical activity levels (effect sizes d=.59-.73) in post-treatment survivors. These combined findings support home exercise as an accessible, low-barrier intervention for both psychological well-being during chemotherapy and physical recovery afterward.

Evidence

The effects of a home-based physical activity intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness in breast cancer survivors; a randomised controlled trial

Authors: Carmichael, Amtul R., Kitas, George D., Lahart, Ian, Metsios, George S., Nevill, Alan M.

Published: July 1, 2017

In this randomized controlled trial of 32 post-adjuvant therapy breast cancer survivors (age 52 ± 10 years, BMI 27.2 ± 4.4 kg/m²), a six-month home-based physical activity intervention with face-to-face and telephone counselling was compared to usual care. Participants had a baseline mean relative V̇O2max of 25.3 ± 4.7 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, categorized as 'poor' for age and gender. Magnitude-based inference analyses showed likely at least small beneficial effects on absolute and relative V̇O2max (effect sizes d = .44 and d = .40, respectively) and on total and moderate physical activity (effect sizes d = .73 and d = .59, respectively) in the intervention group compared to usual care.

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Effect of designed exercise program on stress, anxiety and depression i-n women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy

Authors: Aghaalinejad, Hamid., Aghabarari, Maryam., Ahmadi, Fazlollah., Hajizadeh, Ebrahim., Mohammadi, Eesa.

Published: January 1, 2008

A quasi-experimental study of 56 women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy compared a designed home exercise program (20-30 minutes/day, 3-5 days/week, over 9 weeks spanning 3 chemotherapy cycles) against routine care. Post-intervention, the exercise group showed significantly lower stress (7.25±4.42 vs 10.82±5.46), anxiety (4.07±2.72 vs 7.07±4.8), and depression (3.82±8.83 vs 7.32±5.12) compared to controls, all reaching statistical significance (P<0.01). No significant differences existed between groups at baseline for demographic characteristics, cancer stage, surgical method, or psychological measures.

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