If you are being treated for breast cancer, you may feel too tired to exercise. But now's the time to start. Just walking a few hours a week will boost your energy - and may even improve your chances of beating the disease.

In a recent study of 3,000 breast cancer patients, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who walked just three to five hours a week had the best rate of survival.

Talk to your physician about the right exercise and consult with a physical therapist or certified fitness professional. Once you get in gear, you'll likely find yourself moving briskly along the road to recovery.

Here's how exercise helps:

• Fights fatigue and helps you recover your energy and build stamina ... so you feel like doing more.
• Strengthens your immune system and helps keep your fat-to-muscle ratio in balance. Excess body fat can raise the risk of breast cancer or a recurrence.
• Boosts your spirits and helps control stress by giving you a sense of control over your health.
• Improves body image. Treatment very often rocks a woman's vision of herself. Keeping yourself feeling good is important.
• Maintains heart health.

Any type of cardiovascular exercise helps. Try walking or using a home stationary bicycle. Start at low to moderate intensity and break your activity into segments, walking 15 minutes in the morning and again at night. Strength training can help the entire body; start with less weight and higher repetitions.