Check this out!! Montora is known to be a couch potato… He likes to do the least amount of physical activity as humanly possible and eat everything in the house IF I let him. He loves lounging around the house on the couch, in the bed on the floor using his iPad and eating cookies. Today while in gym class his teacher sent me this dope video of him getting active in the gym at school. It made me wonder how many families actively encourage their Angel to move their bodies. Our kids do not have the motivation to get up and move but will get active if we participate. We know being a caregiver isn’t an easy feat however the benefits of activity are two-fold (you and them) you both get the positive side effects of increasing your heart rate and getting the blood flowing through your body. Caregiving requires so much effort that adding an additional piece to care-giving can become even more overwhelming at times. But who doesn’t want to feel better.
What are the benefits of working out especially for individuals with Angelman syndrome? Here’s what I’ve found out in the benefits of exercise article found on Medlineplus.gov:
- Improve memory and brain function (all age groups).
- Fighting and Protecting against many chronic diseases.
- Regular exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient. Over time it reduces your resting heart rate by 5-25 beats per minute.
- Weight management.
- Lower blood pressure and improve heart health.
- Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Improve your quality of sleep
Of all these benefits the two that stand out to me the most are:
“Improve memory and brain function and Improve quality of sleep”
Having Angelman Syndrome includes having sleep issues. What I have learned is that my son can live on the least amount of sleep until it catches up with him and then the seizures and the body crash occurs. We sometimes spend days recovering from seizures. If you have an Angel that does not sleep you know what it’s like to be so sleep deprived all you can do is cry. Literally, I used to cry because my baby stayed up all night. As a little one he only slept 3-5 hours a night. I was fortunate when he was small to have my mom and sister in the house with me to take shifts but once we hit 6 months of age we were living on our own and I had to learn how to take care of my baby and myself to get some sleep. We did co-sleep and it was pure HELL getting my child out of the bed with me; but we will save that conversation for another day.
There are times when I don’t want to get out and move our bodies but we do it anyway.We do it because consistency and routine also help my kid stay balanced and focused. We pretty much walked everyday throughout the pandemic and in the winter as it got colder we continued to walk we just put on gloves and a hat and boots. If you are not new to us you know that MJ used to cry the whole entire time we walked from start to finish at first. But me as the pushy goal driven person still made him do it and now we don’t fight so much! Even tho he is non-verbal he still communicates his disdain for walking.
My family helped too! We all walked, my dad helped mom helped and my nieces and nephew all made sure we went out and got our walk in. It is so encouraging to see my big guy do new things and be consistent and exercise. So when I see him doing battle ropes.. I get a small mustard seed of hope that one day he will run a 5k all on his own. He may not be able to hold conversations but could this be a reality? Can we really do this? Can I create an athlete out of couch potato?? We shall see! This summer we will start our couch to 5K. It can and will happen!
The benefits of exercise for your Angel are also benefits to you too! Good feels, happy endorphins, better blood circulation and better overall health.
Peace and Positivity
Taysha
Follow us on Instagram!!
Life with Montora 