The Road of Exercise

“Grab Your Gym Bag Instead of the Remote”

Exercise improves learning by maximizing the efficiency of the brain and getting students ready and motivated to learn. It improves attention and mood in students with ADHD. Physical exercise can reduce stress, anxiety and depression and even strengthen a child’s immune system.

Alex: Success Comes to an ADHD Extreme Sports Kid

Alex’s mother had three main concerns about her 11 year old son: 1) challenging, defiant behavior, 2) poor attention skills and 3) lack of interest in school and homework. Alex was diagnosed with moderate ADHD Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive Type. He was easily distracted, had trouble listening and was often frustrated. Mother’s main fear was that he was setting himself up for failure.

Alex was a math whiz who loved to experiment. He had great physical abilities and excelled at extreme sports, pushing the edge of skateboarding, rollerblading, biking and water skiing.

Alex was enrolled in The 5 Safe Roads Program 5 Roads Training at the beginning of 6th grade to build attention skills, reduce impulsivity and improve attitude. He was encouraged to continue his physical exercise workouts and allowed to compete in certain extreme sport events. Alex did attention building and working memory training exercises at the office while learning to juggle.  This strengthened focus, confidence and motivation while reducing impulsivity. 

During his five months, Alex learned to excel at juggling and adopted a positive “can do,” “best effort” and “personal responsibility” attitude which improved grades, mood and behavior.

As the school year came to an end, the middle school Principal approached him in the hall and applauded his improvements in academics and behavior. Alex was surprised, shocked actually, but accepted her invitation to juggle on stage at the year-end main event. His mother purchased juggling balls which glowed in the dark.

With the lights dimmed and both motivation and confidence restored, Alex put on quite a show.

Quote from the expert: Dr.John Ratey, Author of “Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”

“Grab your gym bag instead of the remote, or spend time on the field rather than the sidelines. From your genes to your emotions, your body and brain are dying to embrace the physical life. You are build to move.”

“You could substitute any of the martial arts here or any highly structured form of exercise such as ballet, figure skating or gymnastics. Less traditional sports such as rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater paddling and – sorry to tell you mom – skateboarding are also effective in that they require complex movement in the midst of heavy exertion. The combination of challenging the brain and the body has a greater positive impact than aerobic exercise alone.”