The INFLUENCE of PHYSICAL ACTIVITY on the HEALTH and WELL-BEING of BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS

Structured and remotely guided physical exercise program The participants in the intervention group took part in a remote physical exercise program for 12 weeks. The telepresence sessions, conducted three times a week via Google Meet®, lasted 60 minutes and consisted of three phases: warm-up (10 minutes), multi-joint functional exercises (40 minutes) and stretching (10 minutes). The exercises were progressively intensified over the weeks, using the Borg scale to monitor effort. The intensity was adjusted in three cycles: in the first 4 weeks (60 seconds of exercise/90 seconds of rest), in weeks 5 to 8 (75 seconds of exercise/60 seconds of rest) and in weeks 9 to 12 (90 seconds of exercise/30 seconds of rest).

Participants in the Ebook group received an illustrated manual containing detailed guidelines for practicing simple physical exercises at home, using only their body weight. The manual suggested a frequency of 3 to 5 times a week, with 30 to 60 minutes of activities such as stretching, squats and exercises for the upper and lower limbs. The participants were encouraged to follow these guidelines and, 30 days after receiving the ebook, an additional stimulus was sent by text message, reinforcing the importance of following the protocol.

The control group only received general guidance on the importance of regular physical activity. The recommendations followed health guidelines, suggesting between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.