Keep the gym membership

Getting off the couch will help you trim down, which has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer. But the physical activity itself can also offer cancer-prevention benefits. Research shows that regular exercise can reduce the risk of colon cancer by as much as 40 percent and breast cancer by up to 80 percent. Studies have also shown physical activity slows the progression of prostate cancer and reduces the risk for lung and endometrial cancers.

In terms of colon cancer, hitting the gym may help keep your bowels regular — and the quicker potential carcinogens move through your system, the better. Physical activity also suppresses estrogen production, which in excess can increase the risk of breast and other cancers.

“Ideally you should sustain physical activity throughout your life,” says Christine Friedenreich, PhD, a research scientist with the Alberta Cancer Board. But it's never too late, she says. Her research showed women who were inactive early in life but who became active after menopause had a 40 percent decreased risk of breast cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 30 minutes a day of “moderately intense” exercise, five or more days a week. An hour a day would be even better, says the AICR. And you don't need to join an expensive club to do it. Jack up that heart rate by doing active yard work or by taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Don't fry

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., affecting 1 million people each year. It's also preventable (think wide-brimmed hats, broad-spectrum sunscreen, and indoor playtime during peak sun hours) and 99 percent treatable if caught early, like mine. But here's news: A recent study by researchers at St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri suggests that people who spend a lot of time in the driver's seat are more likely to develop skin cancer on their left arms, hands, heads, and necks. And drivers who roll up the windows are not immune. “Windshields tend to be laminated and tinted, so they have more of a filtering effect, while the side windows in most cars are not, which means less protection,” explains lead researcher, Scott W. Fosko, MD, a professor and chairman of the department of dermatology at St. Louis University. Before you get behind the wheel, slather up with a broad-spectrum sunscreen or wear a long-sleeved shirt. And if you're planning a long road trip, consider an aftermarket window treatment or tinting for your car's side windows.

But do get some sun

That said, new research suggests that vitamin D — which the body produces with the help of sunlight — may protect against a host of cancers, namely colon, breast, prostate, endometrial, and ovarian. A study published in January 2008 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed a link between lung cancer rates and sun exposure, with greater rates of lung cancer in countries farther from the equator. “Smoking accounts for 90 percent of lung cancers,” says study author Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, epidemiology professor at the University of California, San Diego. “We believe vitamin-D deficiency accounts for the remaining 10 percent.”

He recommends getting a blood test to determine your vitamin-D levels. “It's as important as getting your cholesterol checked,” says Garland. To boost your levels: Strip down to shorts and a halter — you want 40 percent of your skin showing — and a floppy hat. Soak up the rays for between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on your skin type (the fairer you are, the shorter the duration). For some people (green-eyed, red-headed Celts, like me), the risk of skin cancer may outweigh the benefits of sunshine-induced vitamin D. Backup plan: Take a vitamin D3 supplement in the amount of 1,000-2,000 IU a day. Although vitamin D is found in food sources, Garland says, you'd have to drink ten to 20 glasses of milk a day to get a sufficient dose.

Get tested

Screening is a key component of prevention. Cancer prognosis can be exponentially better if you can catch the disease in its early stages. The survival rate for breast cancer, for example, is 98 percent at five years if the disease is caught when it is very localized. Colon cancer, second only to lung cancer as a cause of death and equally prevalent among men and women, is totally preventable if precancerous polyps, growths that have long been considered the main precursors for colon cancer, are removed in time.

Colonography is a new way of screening that's less invasive than the dreaded colonoscopy. This virtual colonoscopy uses a CT scan to examine the colon. The sticky wicket: A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in March showed depressed or flat lesions were five times more likely to be cancerous than polyps. While the CT scan would clearly be more comfortable, a traditional colonoscopy better detects these flat or depressed lesions. Also be picky when it comes to the experience behind the scope. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found certain doctors were ten times better at finding precancerous polyps — and the flat lesions are even harder to detect.

Always check with your doctor to see what your own medical history dictates, but most women ages 21-30 should have a Pap test every year and then every three years if they've had negative results for three years in a row, and a mammogram every two years after age 40. Both genders should have colonoscopies every ten years after age 50. Plan annual physicals and regular skin checks, too.

Despite the efforts of award-winning writer Helen Olsson to feed her three children wholesome food, the youngest still won't eat kale.

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