Ninety-seven per cent of people don’t list being overweight as a cancer risk, according to a Cancer Research UK survey out yesterday (Tuesday 4 August 2009).

We all find it difficult putting exercise into our daily routines, but what better motivation than knowing you are helping prevent the risk of cancer.

Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “Encouraging people to change their behaviour is often difficult, but the first step is to build awareness that these changes are worth making…We have estimated that more than 13,000 cases of cancer could be prevented each year if everyone maintained a healthy weight”

Running is great way to lose weight, when you first start out you will burn between 10 to 12 calories a minute, compared to swimming and cycling were you will burn between 7 to 10 a minute. And remember, the fitter you get, the more you burn!

• Never run before? Click here to download leggit’s beginners guide

Sara Hiom added: “It may be hard for people to make the link between obesity and an increased risk of cancer because we generally associate having the disease with being underweight. But carrying extra weight means producing more chemicals in our bodies that can cause cancer to develop.

“We know it can be hard to make long-lasting changes to our lifestyles…But it’s important that people are aware of the things that they can do – and the extent to which these changes will affect their cancer risk – so that they can make informed choices”

What are you waiting for? Get out there and start exercising! don’t worry if you struggle to begin with, or you are not very fast, the important thing is you’re out there making a difference to yourself and your family!

Need further advice, click here visit our training pages. Or if you need specialist advice contact us at training@leggit.co.uk and our resident PT will get in contact with you.