Do you think that exercising can make a person smarter? Kids with ADD are encouraged to exercise because it increases concentration and can even improve test scores...

Phht. No. The thing is with ADHD, is that they just have too much energy to spare. By getting rid of all the excess energy, they can focus much easier on schoolwork.

Although, since exercising increases bloodflow, then I don't see why it wouldn't make the brain work better due to all the extra blood cells keeping it active. But ADHD kids don't have any significant change in intelligence compared to "normal" kids, it's just that they have a significantly different attention span.

YeaYeahYa wrote
Do you think that exercising can make a person smarter? Kids with ADD are encouraged to exercise because it increases concentration and can even improve test scores...

I think that exercise helps relax you, and in turn helps you focus more on the tasks at hand. So many kids may find that they are doing better on tests because they are not as stressed as they were had they not exercised.

I personally don't see how it can make someone smarter, but I guess others disagree, but keep in mind that these tests were done on "mice" :


http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/news/bal-to.hs.prescription07feb07,0,5243276.story

I doubt it makes you smarter but I remember my PE teachers used to tell me that exercising opens up your mind. And thats actually true, i had PE 1st period my senior year in high school and it would really wake me up and I'd be much more alert to everything not just school work. And I do try to go to the gym early mornings too to keep me awake but I'm too lazy hehe.

Mrs.Ugly said: I doubt it makes you smarter but I remember my PE teachers used to tell me that exercising opens up your mind. And thats actually true, i had PE 1st period my senior year in high school and it would really wake me up and I'd be much more alert to everything not just school work. And I do try to go to the gym early mornings too to keep me awake but I'm too lazy hehe.

This is very true. Excercising does open up the mind. I try to excercise before studying for a test, I go to the gym then eat and then study and I really concentrate a lot better than when I gavent excercised.

I feel more awake and aware of things. But since excercise also gives you endorphins I also feel more happy.