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The last several years of the pandemic have been rough on everyone. For me, my mental health and physical health have both been in a steady decline. I have never been an active person, but when I worked part-time as a teacher I was on my feet three days a week all day. This helped, as did the routine of going to work and interacting with the preschoolers. I recently had my yearly physical and my physician once again encouraged me to get some exercise for my physical and mental health. It left me wondering how physical activity affects neurodiverse people, specifically those with anxiety and ADHD?
I decided to bring you all along with me on my journey of discovery. I plan on having at least one follow-up post at the end of the summer discussing any success and benefits I found in my life and my children’s lives.
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Can exercise help neurodiverse individuals?
The first big question is does exercise actually make a difference with neurodiverse individuals?
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several ways exercise helps a person. It increases the number of your neurotransmitters or endorphins and this will make you feel more positive. For a person with anxiety, this can help lead to a calmer state, and work to replace low levels of neurotransmitters. I currently take medication for my anxiety, and based on this information exercise has the potential to give me the same effect without the prescription. For more information from the Mayo Clinic Click Here.
Exercise can also improve your mood through several different mechanisms. It helps you sleep better, it makes you feel more self-confident, and it can lower your stress level. I can see how all these things would be a great help for me personally.
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What about anxiety?
Harvard Medical School found that exercise has some very scientific methods of aiding people with anxiety and stress. It activates the frontal region of our brains, allowing us to focus less on perceived or imaginary sources of stress. Additionally, it increases the neurochemicals serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These are often the same neurotransmitters targeted by common anti-anxiety and antidepressants. To read what Harvard discovered Click Here.
Finally, moving your body helps to relieve muscle tension, thereby decreasing the feeling of stress. Personally, I clench my toes and hands when I am particularly anxious. It takes a high amount of awareness for me to forcefully relax them. I can see that exercise would relax that tension in a more organic way.
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How is exercise different from other tools?
I have tried meditation as a way to deal with anxiety and stress. When I remember to use this tool I find it incredibly helpful. According to the Mayo Clinic exercise can be meditation in motion. It is a great way to focus on movement in the here and now and forget the things you might be obsessing over.
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Alright, I might be convinced that exercise could help people who have depression, anxiety, or simply high levels of stress in their life. But what about neurodiverse children?
Can it help individuals with ADHD?
According to research ADHD is often responsive to medications that are called stimulants. These medications affect the brain by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex. The reason this helps children with ADHD is that these neurotransmitters are linked to greater impulse control and attention. Click Here for more information about the role of exercise in treating ADHD.
These are the same neurotransmitters that we discussed with anxiety and depression. So it stands to reason that if exercise can help anxiety it can also help children with ADHD. Secondly, focusing on more complicated exercise activities such as team sports can allow children with ADHD the opportunity to practice social skills, and extend focus and processing. Both of this help improve focus in school and daily life.
What about children with autism?
At this point I am pretty convinced that exercise can benefit Dino and myself, but what about Rainbow, my neurodiverse daughter. According to Autism Speaks exercise can also be extremely beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorders.
It helps in some of the same ways, by increasing social skills and opportunities. Additionally, it can help children who tend to have lower fitness skills than other individuals. Some research indicates that children with autism perform at a lower level than their peers. Regular exercise and physical activity give them the opportunity to strengthen their muscles and their coordination.
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The best ways to get exercise
So I want to take this summer to increase not only my own physical activity but that of my neurodiverse children as well. My last consideration is what is the best way to do this?
As noted earlier, group activities can be of particular benefit to both children with Autism and ADHD. Dino is signed up for soccer this summer, and both Rainbow and Dino will be attending ninja camps.
Harvard states that children need 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Keep in mind this doesn’t have to be all at once, it can build up throughout the day. For our family, this may include swimming, playing basketball on our driveway, and taking the dogs for a walk. For more about the exercise needs of children Click Here.
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They also recommend bone and muscle strengthening exercises. I would like to renew my yoga practice, so I think I will find some kid-friendly classes to do along with my children. This can help us strengthen and tone while giving us a chance to bond as a family.
The big takeaway from all the research is that physical activity and exercise are beneficial for not only your physical health but also your mental health. I hope that been experimenting with our activity this summer I will have the opportunity to share our personal results. In the end, I know that everything I can do to make life a little less stressful for my children is a step in the right direction.