Five minutes of jumping or thirty minutes on a treadmill or static bicycle were enough to produce appreciable improvements in inhibitory control or in cognitive and executive functions .
Benefits following exercise were also seen in other aspects such as reaction times and preparation for response , motor skills or brain activity .
CONCLUSION The findings make us optimistic that in the future physical exercise may become an alternative , or at least an effective complement , to the pharmacological treatments currently used for this pathology
BACKGROUND There are studies that show preliminary evidence of the benefits of physical exercise for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) .
The objective of the research being reported here was to carry out a systematic review of articles relating to the effects that exercise sessions have on children and adolescents with this pathology .
Children With Attention Deficits Concentrate Better After Walk in the Park
Objective : In the general population , attention is reliably enhanced after exposure to certain physical environments , particularly natural environments . This study examined the impacts of environments on attention in children with ADHD . Method : In this within subjects design , each participant experienced each of three treatments ( environments ) in single blind controlled trials . Seventeen children 7 to12 years old professionally diagnosed with ADHD experienced each of three environments — a city park and two other well-kept urban setting s — via individually guided 20-minute walks . Environments were experienced 1 week apart , with r and omized assignment to treatment order . After each walk , concentration was measured using Digit Span Backwards . Results : Children with ADHD  concentrated better after the walk in the park than after the downtown walk ( p = .0229 ) or the neighborhood walk ( p = .0072 ) . Effect sizes were substantial ( Cohen 's d = .52 and .77 , respectively ) and comparable to those reported for recent formulations of methylpheni date . Conclusion : Twenty minutes in a park setting was sufficient to elevate attention performance relative to the same amount of time in other setting s. These findings indicate that environments can enhance attention not only in the general population but also in ADHD population s. “ Doses of nature ” might serve as a safe , inexpensive , widely accessible new tool in the tool kit for managing ADHD symptoms . ( J. of Att . Dis . 2009 ; 12(5 ) 402 - 409
Five minutes of jumping or thirty minutes on a treadmill or static bicycle were enough to produce appreciable improvements in inhibitory control or in cognitive and executive functions .
Benefits following exercise were also seen in other aspects such as reaction times and preparation for response , motor skills or brain activity .
CONCLUSION The findings make us optimistic that in the future physical exercise may become an alternative , or at least an effective complement , to the pharmacological treatments currently used for this pathology
BACKGROUND There are studies that show preliminary evidence of the benefits of physical exercise for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) .
The objective of the research being reported here was to carry out a systematic review of articles relating to the effects that exercise sessions have on children and adolescents with this pathology .