A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics recognizes the benefits of exercise to improve academic abilities in children with ADHD. In this study, 40 children total (20 with ADHD 20 without ADHD), ages 8 -10 years old spent 20 minutes walking briskly on a treadmill or 20 minutes reading. This was followed by […]
The New York Times published a great article on the neurocognitive benefits of exercise on children. One recent study discovered that children who were fit had a significantly larger basal ganglia. Another study indicated that children who were more fit had a significantly larger hippocampus. Additional studies are cited regarding the benefits of aerobic exercise […]
Asthma is a common chronic disease is the pediatric population. Having this condition, does not indicate that children should avoid exercise or sports participation. Although exercise and emotions can trigger bronchospasm with mild inflammation. Statistics show that almost 90% of asthmatics and 40% of people with allergic rhinitis suffer from exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB). This […]
Pediatrics published research on the physical activity levels and electronic media use for 384 children with Type 1 diabetes, 90 children with Type 2 diabetes and 173 control subjects ranging in age from 10 to 20 years old. The results indicated that male subjects with Type 2 diabetes reported lower levels of vigorous physical activity […]
The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine has published a review of the research on academic performance and physical activity levels. Studies have shown that physical activity increases arousal, self esteem and increased secretion of neurotrophins (help the development and function of neurons). In the case of sports participation, attention and mental performance have improved immediately […]
Here is a great idea – Kids Read and Ride. The concept is to get donated stationary bicycles for the children to ride while reading. This website walks you through every step of how to get started at your school. It also offers tips and suggestions once you do get the program up and running […]
I follow a blog written by the Recess Doctor which I highly recommend. The blog reported on a research study done in 2005 supporting painting lines on a playground. Preventive Medicine published research that found when markings were painted on the playground, moderate to vigorous physical activity increased by 37% whereas the control groups activity […]
Finally, the weather appears to be getting a little nicer. After winter time, children just seem to relish in the sunshine and fresh air of the outdoors. Spring time is a great time to encourage your children to spend more time outdoors. Of course, you can do the obvious, bike rides, spring plantings, mud pies […]
Leslie Cotrell, PhD, a researcher from West Virginia University will be presenting her research at the American Heart Association 2010 Conference on Health, Physical Activity and Metabolism. She studied the body mass index, fitness levels and standardized academic scores of 725 fifth graders and again when they reached seventh grade. The research indicated that students […]
Pediatrics has published research on the association of 8550 four year olds in the United States, household routines and the effects on obesity. The researchers concluded that preschoolers who: eat evening meals as a family at least 5x/week get at least 10.5 hours of sleep per night have less than 2 hours of screen time […]