EXCEL is EXercise for Cancer to Enhance Living Well, and is an exercise study (ETHICS ID: HREBA.CC-20-0098). EXCEL provides an exercise program to individuals living with cancer in rural and remote areas across Canada. Often, those living in rural/remote areas do not have equal opportunities to access additional supportive cancer care services. EXCEL will reduce these disparities by building referral networks between healthcare providers and rural fitness professionals, who have received additional training in exercise oncology.
EXCEL is a free 8-12-week exercise program delivered twice a week in an online group-based setting. Exercises are conducted at a low-to-moderate intensity and are tailored to each participant, based on health conditions, medical limitations, exercise experience, and comfort levels.
How to refer to EXCEL:
Please refer patients to our program by providing them with our email: wellnesslab@ucalgary.ca.
Leave the screening, registration, and triage to us!
To support referrals, we are more than happy to mail a package of promotion materials, including study brochures, to any interested healthcare providers.
More About EXCEL
Eligibility criteria include:
• Have/had a cancer diagnosis
• Must be pre-treatment, on treatment or within 3 years* of completing treatment;
• Over the age of 18;
• Able to consent to the EXCEL project in English;
• Able to participate at mild to moderate levels of exercise intensity;
• Have access to reliable internet
*If your patient is experiencing negative cancer-related side-effects beyond three years, and would benefit from engaging in exercise, please refer them to our team for screening.
To ensure those interested are safe to engage in physical activity, each individual is screened using a physical activity readiness form, and a comprehensive health history is obtained and reviewed by clinical exercise physiologists.
“Living in a rural location, the EXCEL Program has provided a lifeline for me. The benefits of exercise and cancer recovery are well documented and the network of support is an added benefit. I truly believe that it is making a difference for all of us cancer survivors!”
– Janice
Why is exercise so important?
Exercise is feasible, safe, and beneficial for adults living with cancer (18+ years) at any stage of the treatment continuum.
Tailored, progressive exercise can help:
1. Reduce NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS: cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, depression
2. Improve RECOVERY: increase physical function, sleep, bone health, and fitness markers
3. May increase SURVIVAL and decrease RECURRENCE: for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers