Kids and Exercise

Evi­dence from sev­eral exper­i­men­tal stud­ies sug­gests that phys­i­cal activ­ity can have a pos­i­tive influ­ence on children’s cog­ni­tive func­tion­ing.  That's no surprise considering that increased exercise increases the flow of blood to the brain.  A study pub­lished recently online in the Jour­nal of Atten­tion Dis­or­ders examined the effects of phys­i­cal train­ing on chil­dren with ADHD.  The study found that increased physical activity not only increased the child's physical fitness, but also helped the child to focus mentally.  However, the study did note that the children with ADHD, even with increased exercise, did not come up to the academic achievement levels of their non-ADHD counterparts.  The results indicate that exercise helps these children, but does not cause ADHD to disappear.  In my opinion, ADHD continues to be a modern problem that requires further studies to investigate the causes and possible cures.