I am in the process of researching all different types of fitness programming that can help prevent disease and assist in disease recovery and survival - particularly cancer. The American Cancer Society recently released a statistic that stated, "Approximately a third of all cancer mortalities could be prevented by stopping a sedentary lifestyle." This is a passion for me, because I lost my mom to cancer, my husband's brother, my grandmother and grandfather to cancer.

I am starting to see a real "Colorado Link" with all the work that is going on in the Cancer Fitness space and Pilates fits so well into the recommendations from the experts.

Dr. Tim Byers, Professor of Preventative Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said earlier this year that, "I think that five years from now, cancer patients will be routinely assigned fitness programs as a part of their treatment and recovery, just as is now the norm in cardiology."

This "Colorado Link," along with the fact that the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute that opened in 1996 to research the effects of exercise on cancer recovery, is fascinating to me. The book by the women that founded this center - "Exercise and Cancer Recovery" - is an amazing resource for any fitness professional programming for cancer patients.

The center's findings state that the most effective prescription for cancer patients is to exercise for an hour three times a week... with whole body workouts at a moderate intensity that integrates muscular strengh and endurance, flexibility, range of motion and cardio-respiratory components.

I see a Pilates opportuinity here too. Pilates fits the criteria to help cancer patients deal with their treatment and recovery. The fact that Peak Pilates is also in Colorado makes me seriously consider moving to an area of the country that can impact this field so greatly.