The Science
We have a brain for one reason, and that is to help us orchestrate actions, including physical movements, which helped our ancestors promote survival of the species. When we restrict movement, our brain can no longer function optimally. When we move, our body produces a cascade of biochemical reactions, which enhance brain functioning and improve mood. For our ancestors movement enhanced survival, so it makes sense that our body would create chemicals that improve mood when we move.
Bottom line: We were born to move. If a baby’s movement was restricted extensively, it would have drastic consequences on development and future learning potential. When a school age child’s movement is restricted, likewise, it can have consequences on learning and future development.
Our ancestors never reserved time for “exercise”, because they didn’t need to. Movement was a natural part of their everyday lives. Movement was necessary in order to learn effectively and promote survival. Hence the continuous desire to move, move, move, in order to learn and survive.
Today, when we allow movement to become a natural part of a child’s learning environment, numerous benefits occur and the learning activity instantaneously becomes more engaging. Now you understand why movement (also called “kinesthetics” or just “physical exercise”) is such a critical element of a child’s learning environment.
An enormous amount of research has been performed on alleviating the severity of attentional difficulties with physical exercise. Running a search on PubMed.gov, for “adhd” and “exercise” results in hundreds of research studies, dating back decades. We perform this search regularly, to stay on top of the latest research. Here are some significant findings to be aware of:
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In 2017, an important systematic review was performed by Ng, et al, where 30 research studies were analyzed. Short-term and long-term studies both supported the benefits of physical activity for individuals with ADHD. Cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms of ADHD were alleviated in most instances. The researcher’s analysis concluded the following: “Physical activity, in particular moderate-to-intense aerobic exercise, is a beneficial and well-tolerated intervention for children and adolescents with ADHD”.
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In 2019, another broad meta-analysis was performed by Christiansen, et al. The analysts reviewed existing evidence that exercise affects cognitive functions in children with and without ADHD. They found associations between physical activity and reduced severity of ADHD, as well as evidence in the form of small to moderate beneficial effects following acute aerobic exercise on executive functioning in children with ADHD. Exercise was suggested as a safe and low-cost adjunctive therapy for ADHD and positive effects were reported on several aspects of cognitive functions in the general child population.
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An additional meta-analysis was performed in 2019, by Zang, which analyzed the impact of physical exercise on children with ADHD. This meta-analysis showed that physical exercise makes a major contribution to improvement in children suffering from ADHD. Physical exercise was recommended in the daily life of children with ADHD.
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In 2016, Hötting et al performed a highly valuable study. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of a single bout of physical exercise on memory. Participants wrote a list of words before exercising, with either high intensity exercise, low intensity exercise, or before a relaxation phase. Retention of the words was assessed 20 minutes after the intervention as well as 24 hours later. Participants in the high intensity exercise group forgot less vocabulary than the relaxation group, 24 hours after learning. This study suggests that learning combined with exercise may help us retain what we learn.
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Dr. Michael Greger has several scientific reviews on his website, NutritionFacts.org, in video format. Here’s a summary courtesy of Dr. Greger’s exceptional work. ADHD medications are thought to act by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Guess what else can increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels? Physical exercise. And, it happens within minutes of getting on a bike; levels shoot up. Medications take an hour to work; physical activity works almost immediately. Evidence suggests that both “acute and chronic” physical activity can “mitigate ADHD symptoms”. Exercise has been shown to be effective in controlling ADHD symptoms, and has only beneficial side effects; exercise produces physical, mental, and emotional advantages that are far-reaching.
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Why don’t you call this ADHD, like everyone else does?