Exercise ideas - 12 yr old boy with crohn's

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charleigh78
charleigh78 Posts: 247 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Help me brainstorm this....

My 12 year old son (13 in April) has Crohn's disease. This disease has limited him a good bit in his physical activity in the past (joint pain, etc). Since switching him to the Auto immune paleo diet his joint pain is gone. I keep reading that exercise is HUGE for knocking down inflammation. He is too old for team sports (anything in our area for his age is too competitive for his non-sports background). He can't swim. We don't live in a neighborhood, etc where he can go run by himself. We do live on acreage and I could make him walk/hike around, but I would like something more motivating for him.

I have a gym about two miles from my house but it is for 18 and older.
We have a very tight budget. If I were to cut his anti-inflammatory supplements in half then I could afford one of two options.

There is a YMCA 20 minutes from my house. It would cover the whole family so that could be good. I am not sure what he would do there though - maybe I should have him start swimming? Lessons maybe? I am a little concerned about adding more driving/trips/agenda to my week though :/

There is Cross fit Kids. The price would be for just him. My concern with this is that it is twice a week at a specific time/place and I can't always predict that he will feel good enough when that time slot hits.

Is there something else I am not thinking of? I want to find something that motivates him rather than something that I have to make him do. If that makes sense?

Replies

  • hunniebunn
    hunniebunn Posts: 91 Member
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    Hello!!
    I am currently living with active Crohn's disease, and have founds that working out has made my joint pain substantially less painful. Swimming is a great option because its low impact on the joints, but it can get boring sometimes. I get the whole medication price strain. I'm getting assistance from the government "Trillium Fund" since my medications are over 2,000/month. So paying for memberships can be a strain, but the fact I feel better makes it all worth it.
    I have started doing muay thai & kickboxing and got 4-5 days a week plus the gym/swimming, and although they are in certain timeslots, I find that if I take my medications on time/correctly, I feel well enough to go. Which hopefully is the case with your son. What is nice with crossfit is that you go at your own limits, and they will push you, but never past a breaking point.
    Let me know if you need any support with it, since I have had it for almost 20 years. Best of luck for you and your son!
  • ccather
    ccather Posts: 16 Member
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    Living with Colitis here and I would vote for the Y. Swimming doesn't have to be structured lap time. Use the rec time the Y has and go play as a family. Just moving around in the water is tiring. Our Y has lots of "free" classes that are included with memberships. Are there some classes that he and/or some family members would be interested in doing together? If there's extra wiggle room in your budget, there are lots of other classes he could look into. Our has a rock climbing wall & class that my kids enjoyed.

    ETA: are there any after school activities that he could try? Our school has basketball, running, cheer (maybe not for your son ;) and other activities after school. Skill is less important, but it would get him moving.

    I can have joint pain with my colitis (usually in my knees) and in general I find that the more active I am, the more calm that my disease is. Hope it helps him! I feel so bad for the little ones who have to deal with our pain :(
  • unhgoose
    unhgoose Posts: 122 Member
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    I don't know if you have any video games systems but maybe a fit video game like boxing or the wii Olympics. Those can be a lot of fun and you can all play together if you want.
  • Hines418
    Hines418 Posts: 1
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    My son (9 years old) has Crohn's as well. I try to keep him physically active, as it really does do wonders for his overall health and to keep flare-ups at bay. In addition to the exercise he gets at school (gym class, running around at recess) I have him do some exercise routines at home too. We have a mini-trampoline that he jumps on for 20 or so minutes a day. He also walks on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes a day. I also try to do physical exercise with him and the kids in short bouts in the evening. We might all get down on the floor and do push-ups, stretches, squats and other things for 10 minutes, wrestle around a little bit or just go out and toss the baseball in the backyard.

    The main thing I have found with keeping all the kids active is to make it fun, and to get as many family members engaged together as possible. The kids enjoy doing physical stuff more when the whole family - or as many members as are around at the time - get involved.

    We also include physical exercise as one of the chores that the kids have to do each day. They have a chart where they mark off things, like doing the dishes, cleaning their room, doing homework and exercise time. Until they have their chores done, they don't get to play video games. This is incentive for them to realize that exercise is something they should do every day to earn time doing other activities.

    Best of luck in introducing some physical activity to your son's life. I hope that the added exercise allow him to experience a drop in the symptoms of Crohn's. I know how difficult this disease can be to deal with- especially for kids.

    Take care!
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    How about getting a dog for him to walk?

    Swimming-he can learn this=ask the Y for a discount if you need it-they are supposed to have a policy of no barriers.
    NO to Cross-fit. Too intense and hard core right now.

    How about a badminton set in the backyard. You could play him.

    Or a wii fit?
    Or a bike and you could both bike?
  • charleigh78
    charleigh78 Posts: 247 Member
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    Some good thoughts....thanks ya'll.:smile:

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