Our whole family just joined a fitness club and so far it's been great. I love the workout machines and the atmosphere, plus the fact that they provide child care!!! Having no family or regular babysitter that is a very big deal. I recently came off all medication because I was developing tics, so I needed something to help with the moodiness, anxiety, and general ADD fog. I've gone twice now and feel really pumped up.. I think it's going to be a great help.

Dr. Ratey who co-authored Driven to Distraction has a 6 week telecourse on the benefits of exercise for ADHD (I referenced it in the events section of the forums), which sounds really interesting, but I can't afford it right now (I guess I'll have to wait for the book next year), but I know I got through college in good fashion in large part I believe due to lots and lots of exercise each day. I had let that lag with marriage and kids and stuff, but it's time to turn it around! The really cool thing is that I have more muscles than I had back in my 20's -- I actually have definition -- I think it's from lifting my four year old so frequently!:p

Peace!
Scattered

Good for you, Scatt !!

I going to an established fitness club.

I stopped going, because of how crowded the place used to get, during the 'before or after' work hours.

Going to one, is a great form of stress relief, and you're right, you get the bonus, of honing the bod !

The machine, that always kicked my butt, was the 'stair climber' ! (0:

good luck to you nova in your keep fit m8 dorm

Wow, is the regular exercise ever making a difference. I'm actually getting things accomplished around here and my anxious depressive feelings are gone!:) I'm handling stress better and just overall in a better place. I've also been taking Omega III fish oil caps which Hallowell and Ratey say are converted to dopamine when you exercise, so maybe it's a combination of things. Adding iron also helped -- I think I was a bit anemic. I've had that problem in the past before. I'm also taking a calcium, magnsium, zinc supplement (some studies indicate that magnsium and zinc are usually lower in ADDers), and grape seed extract for the antioxidant properties, oh and Estroven for menopause stuff:rolleyes: . I've also left off wheat, dairy and sugar which seem to effect me negatively. I not sure which thing helps or if it was a combation of all of them, but when I started exercising, I definately noticed an overall improvement in functioning. I'm actually doing better than I was on medication as far as temperment and getting things done go! :D I still miss things in conversations, can't remember directions and stuff (you know basic inattention things), but I seem to be able to work around that and still function pretty well as long as the people around me understand my ADDness!:cool:


I can't wait until Dr. Ratey's book on exercise as a treatment for ADD comes out next year!

Scattered

Scattered, thanks for sharing what you are dong and how much the alts are helping you! I wonder if being forced to look for alternatives is not at all a bad thing for the most of our general health and well-being. I am a firm believer that breaking out in a daily sweat is really good for the body, mind, and soul. (I think toxins work their way out this way) I have been working many hours of overtime, and have not made it to the gym, but noticed getting really foggy-brained lately. I had ordered one of those Urban Rebounder mini-trampolines, and WOW, the workout is really fun, easy, and my head fog has cleared away. It’s a great workout for the lymph system as well. Anyhow, thought I’d throw that in there for the home-bound workout. We need to still find a way. So glad you are getting such great results Scattered!

I can't wait until Dr. Ratey's book on exercise as a treatment for ADD comes out next year!Exercise for ADHD is not a new idea. Research shows that half an hour of cardio exercise worked as well as medication. Unfortunately, like medication, the effect wears off and one must keep exercising through the day. People with ADHD often enjoy physical jobs.

So true. I sometimes go through cycles where I become ADDICTED to working out (yes, it can happen) and I actually have to fight the urge to go to the gym or even to drop and start doing pushups because I come dangerously close to overtaining!

Exercise for ADHD is not a new idea. Research shows that half an hour of cardio exercise worked as well as medication. Unfortunately, like medication, the effect wears off and one must keep exercising through the day. People with ADHD often enjoy physical jobs.Do you know where I could lay my hands on that research. My trainer at the workout center was looking for information to share with parents of ADDers and adult ADDers. I knew it was helpful but I hadn't seen any specific studies showing it as effective as medication in the short term.

Scattered

So true. I sometimes go through cycles where I become ADDICTED to working out (yes, it can happen) and I actually have to fight the urge to go to the gym or even to drop and start doing pushups because I come dangerously close to overtaining!That actually makes a lot of sense, because it raises the dopamine levels and that is what helps you enjoy those feel good feelings!:) I've had the same experience too -- big time!:cool:

Scattered

I first heard of the exercise / ADHD connection ten years ago at a lecture by an educational specialist in ADHD. A search using the terms exercise +benefits +adhd +research came up with several hits. The first one I opened looks very interesting.
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Y63yMD-ebS0J:www.acalogic.com/adhd_research.htm+exercise+%2Bbenefits+%2Badhd+%2B research&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1

I first heard of the exercise / ADHD connection ten years ago at a lecture by an educational specialist in ADHD. A search using the terms exercise +benefits +adhd +research came up with several hits. The first one I opened looks very interesting.
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Y63yMD-ebS0J:www.acalogic.com/adhd_research.htm+exercise+%2Bbenefits+%2Badhd+%2B research&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1Thanks!:)

Contemporary research indicates that a combination of cognitive and aerobic activities will promote greater brain development (Black 1990, and Neeper 1996). These activities differ from most traditional academic settings in that they are largely hands-on in their approach to learning. They may have the psychological and physical capacity to assume a greater workload of activities. The actual involvement in increased cognitive and aerobic activity may prove to be most beneficial in various life applications later in growth and development. The logic behind this belief is that if the behavior/practice of increasing cognitive/aerobic activity yields positive results then this same behavior can be accessed during later periods in life when and if the symptoms begin to re-surface. When a lifestyle immersed in physical exercise is compared to a lifestyle promoting sedentary habits, the outcomes over a number of years may have a direct inmpact in the potential for neurological development in the brain. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>

When a lifestyle immersed in physical exercise is compared to a lifestyle promoting sedentary habits, the outcomes over a number of years may have a direct inmpact in the potential for neurological development in the brain. <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>I wonder if this is why ADHD kids are naturally very active? Isn't nature wonderful? :D