Parents, teachers, and students who have used ACTIVATE™ as part of a complete approach to ADHD therapy already know physical exercise can have a real impact on ADHD. For some, that link can prove powerful enough to result in extraordinary changes in behavior, discipline, and academic success. C8 Sciences loves to see the dramatic results from people who have experienced breakthroughs with ACTIVATE™.
Until recently, a great deal of the science surrounding ADHD therapy has centered around medication. Studies on reducing ADHD symptoms in children using other methods and therapies have been marginally ignored. While Ritalin, Adderall and other promising medications have proven effective, stories abound proclaiming this the overmedicated generation. It’s only natural that parents should want to explore additional avenues.

Physical Exercise and ADHD

Any parent with those concerns should therefore be interested in a recent study out of Michigan State University where they describe a link between physical exercise and ADHD symptom reduction. The study focused on students ranging from kindergarten through the 3rd grade, both with and without ADHD symptoms. After 12 weeks of controlled experimentation, researchers concluded that as little as 30 minutes of exercise each day could have significant impact on those with ADHD.

Similar Results with Executive Control

But that’s not all. A study from the University of Illinois found similar results when they looked at physical exercise and executive control. The researchers explained that there was a causal link between increased exercise and improvements in brain function and cognitive performance. Since executive control dysfunction is one of the most prominent ADHD symptoms in children, these findings open new doors in the field of cognitive training.
“Great!” a parent might say. “A few jumping jacks every morning, and I can quit paying for my kid’s Adderall?” That’s not quite the point. While preliminary results all point toward exercise being beneficial for kids with ADHD, it may be premature to trade your prescription for a gym membership. C8 Sciences agrees with leaders in the field that the best approach is a holistic one. For kids with mild symptoms, exercise may well be enough. For others, cognitive training games may be the key to overcoming obstacles. But for many children and adults, conquering ADHD’s worst symptoms can only be done by attacking it from all sides.

The Basic Foundation of ACTIVATE™

And really, that’s what ACTIVATE™ is all about. Using brain-training games, regular assessments, and physical exercise, kids can begin to see dramatic improvements in a much shorter time frame. And as any teacher can tell you, kids today don’t get near enough time on the playground. With academic standards higher than ever, schools have been forced to cut back on opportunities to get students active. This not only contributes to our nation’s runaway obesity epidemic, but it also has detrimental effects on classroom performance. As the MSU study pointed out, it wasn’t just the kids with ADHD symptoms that showed improvements after morning exercise.
The physical exercise component of ACTIVATE™ provides the perfect opportunity to get kids active in the classroom. Designed for groups of 20 students or more, the exercises and activities are intended to improve cognitive skills, and emphasize cooperation among kids. Schools that have implemented the program have only exemplary things to say, and the most recent independent science shows why.