Where to start after a prostate cancer diagnosis: five simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle

A new focus on your health starts here

After a diagnosis, you may have a number of different treatments that are planned and managed by other people. Choosing new activities that support your health can help you feel more empowered and help you ‘take back control’.

Whatever your starting point, a few simple steps to support your body and mind can help you navigate prostate cancer and manage its treatments. The best way to start is with small daily activities that matter to you and fit easily into your everyday routine.

Five simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle

1) Think about what matters most to you

A healthier lifestyle can mean different things to different people. It could be drinking less alcohol, eating more vegetables, getting more sleep, or making more time to relax. There are many different lifestyle changes you can make that can help you not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually.

Take some time to think about what feels most important to you, and what would help you most right now.

Remember, a healthier lifestyle is not about punishing yourself or cutting out everything you enjoy. You may want to reduce unhelpful habits but also think about what you can add to feel better and make life easier.

2) Don’t overthink it

The important thing is getting started. It’s the doing that makes a difference, not the ‘thinking about doing’.

If nothing comes to mind when you think about what a healthy lifestyle means to you, you could try choosing one simple thing to start with. For example:

• the easiest idea you can think of, like going for a short walk every day, or

• the thing that will help the most right now, like drinking less coffee to improve your sleep.

3) Build from where you are

For a new habit to stick and last, it needs to fit in well with who you are as a person and how you live your life.

Think about how the change you want to make fits into your life. You might need to adjust your routine a little, but if it feels like you would have to change everything about your daily life, it’s probably not the change for right now. For example, if you’re set on going to the gym every morning when you’re not a morning person, it may be hard to stick with.

It’s often easiest to start with something familiar or to build on what you already do. This could even be an old habit or activity you’ve done before that worked well for you. So, if you used to enjoy a morning walk but have slipped out of the habit, could you try it again?

Or, if you want to eat more nutritious meals, you could start by adding to what you already eat. Instead of cooking new meals, try adding an extra portion of vegetables to your evening meal.

4) It’s not just what you do, it’s how you do it

To build a new habit and really make it stick, try doing it a little every day, even if it’s small. Doing it daily helps it become part of your routine, like brushing your teeth. After a while, your mind will start to expect it and you may do it automatically as a normal part of your day. This works even better if you do it around the same time each day.

For example, if you wanted to start lifting some weights to build strength, you might choose to start with just 5 minutes practice every day before lunch.

But even when a new habit is working and becoming part of your routine, life can still get in the way, especially during prostate cancer treatment and recovery. You may find your routine is disrupted by appointments, low energy (fatigue), or feeling unwell. It helps to stay flexible and listen to your body.

Keep your intentions in mind during this time. Try to keep talking about them, put a note on your fridge, or track how far you’ve come. This can help you get back to your activity when you feel ready.

5) Track and reward your progress

Set yourself simple, clear goals and use a habit tracker (paper or digital) to help you stay motivated and see how far you’ve come over time. A sense of competition, even with yourself, can help you stick with it. You could track your activity levels on a scale or count the days you’ve successfully stuck with your plan.

You can also set milestones and give yourself a reward when you reach them. For example, after a month of drinking eight glasses of water a day, you could treat yourself to a cinema trip or buy yourself something you’ve had your eye on. Choose rewards that you enjoy and that support your healthy habits, rather than ones that undo any progress you’ve made.

More information and support

A healthier lifestyle becomes easier over time and can help support how you feel now and in the future. Remember not to overthink it, choose one small step and start today. Done consistently, even the simplest changes can lead to meaningful improvements over time.

If you need more information and support, visit www.transitionnutrition.co.uk for practical tips, guidance and ongoing support with making lifestyle changes.

You can also read or order our free factsheet, Diet and physical activity for men with prostate cancer.

About the author

Michelle Paterson is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach who helps people to make a step change in their quality of life through personalised nutrition coaching, testing, supplementation and lifestyle medicine.

Her passion is supporting people to transform their health and wellbeing by fixing the root causes, so they feel happier and have the freedom to do the things they love, rather than just existing. Michelle works with men and women of all ages and has a special interest in helping people to upgrade the key foundations of health - energy, mood, sleep and gut health.

Michelle started her own business Transition Nutrition in 2017, following her own health issues and extensive training. Alongside her nutritional therapy clinic, Michelle provides health and wellbeing coaching in GP practices in Colchester. She also provides wellbeing support services for staff and clients of charities.