Riding Is My Ritalin

Riding Is My Ritalin is a great article from Bicycling Magazine that was posted on another ADHD web site. (I can't remember whose.) I feel like I could have written the same thing and called it "Exercise Is My Prozac."It makes me want to get the kids riding bikes more and wishing they had more regular PE classes and recess. They only have PE during one of their five terms. The other terms are music, Spanish, art, and drama. Also, their recess is essentially nonexistent. They have lunch at 12 pm and can go out and play after that—until 12:30 pm. I know the teachers let them out for recess, but not consistently. They have days with no recess, no exercise at all during the school day.

This article makes a lot of sense to me because I’ve found that exercise is critical for me. It helps me sleep, digest, feel more happy and energetic. Last year just before Christmas, I was not exercising at all. I didn’t like my gym, and I couldn’t find anyone to run with me in the dark, cold mornings. (What? That doesn’t sound like fun?) I was a piece of work, crying over everything and feeling stressed and CRANKY. That works really well for my family…

In January I started exercising again at a gym that I really like and that, along with some other stuff, helped me do a 180 turn around. I just felt like the troubles of life could roll off me like water on a duck’s back. My very, very favorite thing is exercising outside in a beautiful place. Nature kind of rejuvenates me somehow. My next favorite is at least getting outside anywhere and exercising. And then if all I can do is exercise inside, that’s still pretty good. I know not everyone is so rejuvenated by exercising, but I wonder if it does have at least some of these positive side effects for everyone. And I wonder how I can get my kids to like aerobic exercise as much as computer games. Wouldn’t that be nice? If they were constantly asking me if they could go outside and ride their bikes and fighting over who got to go first? They do at least like riding. And they love the trampoline. So that’s a start. Maybe I’ll tell them the doctor insists that they exercise for at least a half hour a day before they play computer games or watch tv. Would that be naughty?