Exercise

Exercise Program

This whole experience has been way beyond exciting for me. It feels like this is a significant missing piece in Erin's puzzle at the moment. By participating in an exercise program that is as extreme as her diet, we are putting equal emphasis on both of the major players in her health. For her, one without the other is not enough, no matter how good we do with one or the other. We'd always kept her active and she's been in PT 2-3 days a week for her whole life (poor baby!), but this is jolting her activity level way up beyond anything she's done before.

With Erin being 9, we are working on skills that she can develop for a lifetime of more independent living. Giving her this exercise protocol gives her another way to keep PWS in its place, aside from diet alone. When someone had Girl Scout cookies out the other day, she saw them and then looked at me. "Mom, if I eat one of them, I'll have to pay for it, won't I? How many calories do you think it has and how long is that on the treadmill?" We looked it up and she decided that if she just had a taste, that would be enough. I broke off the smallest piece you can imagine, and she was happy. I let her know how proud I was of her and that she should be proud of herself for making such a good decision. That's the kind of thinking that shows me what's possible for her when given the right tools and support.