A balanced lifestyle today lowers your cancer risk for tomorrow – CANSA

It is almost mid-year already, and your New Year’s Resolutions for 2018 long forgotten, but it is never a bad thing or too late to take stock of where you are at, with regards to important life goals, possibly the most significant of these being your health goals. After all, the old saying is true, “Health is Wealth”.

CANSA agrees with the World Cancer Research Fund’s findings indicating that if you work towards the three goals below, you will reduce your cancer risk by a third:

  1. Eat Smart (a wholesome, balanced diet, including what you drink)
  2. Maintain a healthy body weight (SA has the highest occurrence of obesity in sub-Saharan Africa, including children and teens)
  3. Be physically active (World Health Organisation has determined that 47 % of SA adults have insufficient levels of physical activity)

Not only will you lower your risk for several cancers, but also your risk for other non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc. Read media release: English | Afrikaans

Exercise outdoors

April 2018: Lorraine Govender (CANSA’s National Advocacy Co-ordinator), was interviewed by Adri Kotze (Africa Editor Centre for Health Journalism – Mail & Guardian).

CANSA was asked to respond to the Cancer Research UK’s latest research, published earlier this year, regarding lifestyle factors which could contribute to an increased cancer risk, and comment on how this pertains to South Africans. Read more…

Balanced Lifestyle Slideshow

Slideshow – How to Live a Balanced Lifestyle

Lifestyle Infographic

Infographic – Tips to Reduce Your Cancer Risk

Smart Lunch
Active Kids

What YOU Can Do:

1.     Life is hectic – avoid making last minute trips to the local ‘fast food’ outlet, by preparing meals in advance where possible. Cook a double portion healthy, balanced meal, eat one and freeze the other.
2.     Reduce your portion sizes – eat three healthy meals a day – don’t starve yourself and wolf down an enormous portion later.
3.     If you didn’t prepare it right, salt will NOT make the meal taste better, only salty! Use alternate herbs to add flavour food, limiting salt to 1 tsp per day (per person…)
4.     Bring ingredients home that won’t tempt you to eat unhealthily. Choose healthy snack options instead, to still the hunger pangs. If you don’t put it in the shopping cart, you’re not likely to start…

Healthy options
 5.     Avoid food high in fat, sugar and low in fibre. Eat less red meat (beef, lamb, pork), replacing it with fish, poultry, beans, lentils and soya products, and avoid processed meats (ham, bacon, salami, etc).
Exercise

6.     Do aim to eat at least 2 ½ cups of veggies / fruit per day, adding wholegrains and pulses where possible
7.     Plan lunch boxes for school and work instead of buying meals at the tuckshop or canteen – find super lunch box tips here in our CANSA Smart Lunch Box Planner, which includes recipes…
8.     What you drink counts too – avoid sugary drinks such as fizzy sodas and alcohol. Drink unsweetened, pure fruit juice (diluted). Increased sugar intake is linked to obesity and alcohol consumption increases your cancer risk.
9.     Teach kids to prepare healthy, balanced meals from the start (instead of giving your toddler a sugary biscuit, opt for a carrot stick…)
10.     Encourage your children to play physical games: hop scotch; skipping; take them to the park, or play areas designed to get them moving and strengthening their muscles. Make exercise a family affair…

Healthy options
11.     Get up, choose to move, use the stairs, stretch, join neighbourhood sport groups or ones that encourage physical activity. You can also find out more about our CANSA Active programme – be active and healthy – having some Feel Good Fun, while raising awareness and funds for CANSA and the fight against cancer in SA.
12.     Limit your screen time, or time on digital devices which encourages less physical activity.
Smart Lunch
 What Your COMMUNITY Can Do:

Community efforts are essential in creating an environment that encourages healthy food choices and physical activity. Community members can make their voices heard in the following ways:

1.     Lobby for healthier food options offered at schools, educational institutions, or in the workplace

Healthy options
2.     Encourage and empower community members to grow their own fruit and vegetables
3.     Community members or service providers can donate healthier food options to organisations supporting poorer community members
4.     Lobby for safe places where community members can walk, run, ride their bicycle, etc
Take part in events

5.     Encourage events that provide the opportunity to be physically active or start or support a club which does so
6.     Provide opportunities for recreation that do not revolve around sedentary, passive behaviour
7.     Community members or service providers can donate play equipment encouraging the development of motor skills, or help local schools (play schools through high schools) to improve sports facilities

It’s ALWAYS time to take stock of your health.
Invest in your health now by living a balanced lifestyle.

CANSA: Hollard DareDevil Run 2018

#DaredevilRun2018

Your Options for Participation are Limited to ONE

A 5km Run with a Difference that Makes a Difference

The Hollard DareDevil Run has grown from one brave soul daring to jog through peak hour traffic in a Speedo, to a massive countrywide phenomenon with a noble cause.

The only way to beat cancer is to raise awareness through initiatives like the Hollard DareDevil Run. Because early detection saves lives.

So check your jewels, pull on that purple DareDevil Speedo and let’s run cancer outta town. After all “It’s the one time in the year where you can run almost naked and not get arrested.” Sounds like a fair trade-off in the fight against cancer. #DaredevilRun2018 literally saves lives.

#WozaBozza

Says Thulani Sibisi, 2 Oceans Marathon winner and prostate cancer survivor: “I knew the word ‘cancer’. But I didn’t know what it was about. Now, I know’ – see why Thulani believes initiatives like DareDevil are vital in raising awareness about male cancers:

VIDEO INTERVIEW Thulani Sibisi:

Thulani Sibisi

So sign up at www.daredevilrun.com, join us on Friday, 16 March in #Johannesburg, #CapeTown, #Durban, #Bloemfontein and#Mbombela – let’s run cancer out of town! #WozaBozza

#WozaBozza

CANSA MANVan

Make some noise for the CANSA MANVan, sponsored by Hollard! This is your roving mobile clinic, bozza – an unstoppable force that’s driven to fight male cancers by providing PSA tests to men age 40+

The CANSA MANVan, sponsored by Hollard, is coming to your area soon. Be on the lookout for our MANVan and get free health checks, cancer screening and awareness materials to help you lower your cancer risk. The MANVan is shared between all regions that participate in the #DaredevilRun2018.

CANSA ManVan

Screening Offered:

  • Blood pressure
  • Blood sugar level
  • BMI and a body composition analysis
  • Skin scanner analysis – FotoFinder skin screening ( on request)
  • ** Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) fingerpick tests for males older then 40 – to help detect prostate abnormalities
  • Health awareness sessions offering advice on improving health and providing information on the early signs and symptoms of various cancers

** PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous (malignant) and non-cancerous (benign) prostate tissue. High PSA levels may indicate inflammation of the prostate or even cancer. A blood test or finger prick test can establish if PSA levels are raised.

Your options for participation are limited to ONE:

Run cancer out of town

Who will you run for?

#DaredevilDedication – Hollard calls on all Daredevils to dedicate their run to someone they know or love who has been affected by cancer. Runners can share their dedications on signboards, or even write them on themselves, seeing as there will be so much skin on show!

Who will you run for?

Shavathon 2018 – CANSA

Cancer Shavathon and Events – CANSA

I Can, We Can – World Cancer Day – CANSA

CANSA - World Cancer Day

We Can. I Can: Make an Impact and Lower Cancer Risk

FACT: On 4th February each year, it’s World Cancer Day (WCD).

WHY? To give people, everywhere, a platform to create cancer awareness, sharing knowledge to lower the cancer risk.

World cancer day

CONSIDER: The impact you could make through your family, local school, library, health practitioners, sports clubs, organisations, workplace and social media platforms to get the message out there, potentially saving lives.

PREDICTION: Cancer deaths may increase to over 14 million per year, globally, over the next 10yrs…

Local Cancer Landscape: In South, Africa, cancer is under–reported due to the lack of a comprehensive cancer surveillance system. In 2012, 77 440 cases were referred to the NCR. The latest Stats SA figure shows a steady increase in deaths attributable to cancer from 5.6% in 2006 to 9.1% in 2015.

Global Cancer Landscape:

  • Approximately 8.2 million people die from cancer worldwide every year
  • 4 million of these deaths are premature (aged 30 to 69 years)

ACT: The facts should lead you to act – NOW. What will you do this WCD and beyond to fight cancer in your community? See some great ideas below and join CANSA in being an active participant in the global effort to combat cancer.

We can inspire

World Cancer Day Goals for 2018

The 3 year theme, “I Can.We Can”, concludes in 2018, with the focus being on “inspiring healthy communities”.

View media release: English | Afrikaans

How can you and role players in your local community take hands to lower cancer risk where you live, work and play?

Slideshow

Slideshow

Slideshow

Infographic

CANSA urges everyone to be more active – in every sense – in the fight against cancer by incorporating sport-related and wellness activities into daily routines.

Physical activity has been shown to combat cancer, including: lowering cancer risk, and helping cancer patients manage the side-effects of treatment such as fatigue, depression and heart damage.

We can inspire

CANSA will be participating as a member of the Cancer Alliance, in the ‘Patent Reform’ Media Round Table / Webinar, on 30 January 2018, to mark World Cancer Day & raise awareness. We’d love to have you  show your support at the following events:

Schools, libraries, health clinics, service groups, sports clubs and education professionals are encouraged to promote and educate our youth about their health and well-being and WCD is a great opportunity to learn more, take action and engage in this critically important health issue.

We can create healthy schools
I can. We can.

Spread the Word

You can also raise and amplify awareness about fighting cancer with your community and contacts, by downloading these WCD Selfie posters. Print the messages that are meaningful to you, and share your selfie and message, using the hashtags #WorldCancerDay #WeCanICan, on your social media platforms.

Selfies video

Our Advocacy, Research and Service Delivery team members share their WCD message and encourage you to do the same

Light the Way

Cities and towns provide a valuable platform in promoting and protecting public health. It would be fantastic to add iconic landmarks in South Africa to that list, and light them up in blue on World Cancer Day. Let’s light up the way to a world without cancer. City or provincial representatives can contact the closest CANSA Care Centre to make arrangements.

I can. We can.

If you miss the opportunity to create awareness on World Cancer Day, all is not lost! Join us at public Shavathons at local shopping centres countrywide, on the 24th February 2018, and let your hair make a bold statement for you. Shave, spray or donate your hair in honour of cancer Survivors, raising funds for care & support programmes.

Shavathon 2018
 We look forward to seeing how you choose to participate in World Cancer Day – let’s see #WorldCancerDay and #WeCanICan trending!