ADHD Health
Understanding your difference
ADHD Causes - Inactivity - Lack of Exercise
Television is Bad for Your Health
Studies of children and their television viewing habits have shown that television is bad for their health in a number of ways, from an increased asthma risk to an increased risk for ADHD behavior (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Now that does not mean that if your 3 year old child watches more than two hours of TV it will automatically become an asthmatic hyperactive, but it does raise some serious issues. The hyperactivity link seems to be connected to both the TV viewing and a lack of physical exercise, while the asthma study used television viewing as an indicator of physical inactivity.
The links between physical activity, inactivity and asthma are complex, and so is the case with hyperactivity. Some side effects of certain asthma medication are ADHD symptoms. Research has suggested that breathing patterns in inactive children may be associated with developmental changes in the lungs and subsequent wheezing.
Exercise Tip: A Short Run is Better Than a Long Walk
In a report published in the British Medical Journal, scientists have shown more is not always better with exercise. The key appears to be that the type of exercise is more important than the amount. Even small changes in a child’s daily activities can have dramatic long-term results, as long as the activity makes them breathless.
For the fidgety hyperactive person an exercise balance ball chair to sit on while doing anything physically inactive, watching television, doing homework etc. is an ideal way to reduce the hyperactivity, as keeping balance stimulates your body.
A good diet is important, especially with hyperactivity and attention deficit, but doing the correct physical activity should also be a vital part of any ADHD therapy. Watching television is bad for your health if it prevents you from having physical activity. But you can combine the two with a home fitness machine like a treadmill or cycle. Cycling while watching the news you can get all your frustrations out on the pedals and feel great afterwards.
