Day 7 #HWAMC: World Health Day!

Happy World Health Day! (who knew) This blog challenge prompts me to talk about diet and daily nutrition and how it has changed since diagnosis. Well it hasn't. Jackson can eat whatever he wants. What I will talk about is exercise. Our family is huge into being active and we all share a competitive streak. It's not often you find us vegged out in front of the TV all day...and if we are we must be near death! Exercise is good for hemophiliacs. It's good for their joints and overall health. Jackson has played in a basketball league called Little Hoopsters. It's not scored, it's instructional but most of all it's fun and active. When he first played I think he enjoyed racing a kid, any kid, from the other team, down the court more than trying to make a basket! It was great to watch and he enjoyed it. He did have an ankle bleed at one time so he missed a game but all in all he played the season injury free. If you've been reading my posts from the beginning of the challenge you know I'm a runner. Jackson decided that he wanted to run with me so I took him out. He, however, went full speed ahead as he couldn't let me be first (this is where the competitive streak I talked about earlier comes in!!). He would get ahead of me and stop, out of breath, panting "my side hurts, my side hurts". So I told him about slowing down and breathing as he runs. I then run ahead of him and he sprints ahead of me and it goes on and on...but he was active and it was pretty funny too! We also have a gym with free weights and bench presses. He loves to go and workout with his Daddy. He works on his abs, "Mom, look at my six pack...do I have a six pack?" (It's really more like a keg.) He works on his push ups. I'm rather impressed as he can do a perfect full push up about 8 times. We have mini weights that he likes to use for his biceps or his "guns". Every exercise is monitored and low impact. Enough to get his heart rate moving and to spend some time with his Dad. I know it was scary to think about playing sports or exercising when I was a new hemo Mom but it works for him. Don't be scared of it! Exercise is good. If you have questions be sure to consult your hematologist but there are plenty of fun, active things that hemophiliacs can do!

Here is Jackson being active!!