I’m sure you have heard by now that Michael Phelps has ADHD. I know that a lot of his success has to do with the fact that at a young age he found something he was good at and really enjoyed. He’s also had some very positive and supportive people in his life like his mother and his swimming coach.
But let’s not forget the obvious! Michael Phelps really does quite a bit of exercising! If you’ve read Dr. John Ratey’s book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain you know how beneficial exercise is for people with ADHD. So I’m sure that all swimming Michael Phelps has done has really contributed to his success in other areas of his life like school.
It’s come out recently in different articles that when Micheal Phelps was younger he and his mother decided that he would stop taking medication to treat his ADHD. I think it’s personal choice as to whether or not somebody takes medication for ADHD. I really think it’s a good idea for people to educate themselves about ADHD medication before making decisions about medication.
Dr. John Ratey’s book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain is a great resource which can help people understand one of the reasons Michael Phelps has been successful with out ADHD Medication. Let’s also remember that Michael Phelps has been doing a quite a bit more exercise than most people!
|
Get them answered during the ADHD Awareness Marathon! |
8 replies to "ADHD, Exercise and Michael Phelps"
I’ve read he very grueling workout schedule.
Yeah!! Micheal Phelps is kewl and he doesn’t take medication for his ADHD. He doesn’t need and ADD drugs.I luv Micheal Phelps!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, Joan and I had our bikes tuned up at the start of summer, now it’s almost the middle of August and we haven’t used the yet. Really need to get out and excercise!
I have been meaning to read this book. Thanks for the reminder!
Bryan
This is interesting. My son is autistic, but his pediatrician and our family are also fairly sure he is also ADHD (Autistic kids often have other, unrelated, comorbid issues). We tried medication – one seemed to make him go crazy and the other didn’t appear to have any affect, but then he does an awful, awful lot of running around, so maybe the fact that it helps him is why he’s so physically active.
I think it’s great that Michael Phelps has been so successful with out using ADHD medications. I just hope teens and young people with ADHD don’t all of a sudden stop taking their medication just because Michael Phelps doesn’t take medication to treat his ADHD.
Can you imagine what type of workout schedule Micheal Phelps must have? I bet he swims every morning which would makes so much sense that he can focus with out ADHD drugs during the day.
Wow, I had no idea. What an incredible specimen he is! I am slowly weening myself off of Wellbutrin SR and I find that my ADD symptoms improve when I make it a habit of doing things consistently like writing or taking yoga. It also helps overall with my concentration. I find that when I sink into something that I am very passionate about, there is less chaos in my brain i.e. less ADD symptoms. The hard part is staying committed.
And why is it that the first thing teachers take away to punish adhd children is RECESS!!!! That one always puzzled me!!! It has been proven over and over again that exercise stimulates our learning and settles us down!
—–
PING:
TITLE: Michael Phelps, ADHD, and a Loss for Words
URL: http://www.myaddblog.com/2008/08/michael-phelps.html
IP: 10.0.23.101
BLOG NAME: My ADD / ADHD Blog
DATE: 08/17/2008 12:17:05 AM
So Michael Phelps has just done an amazing thing by breaking a record and winning 8 Gold Medals. Yes, Michael Phelps has ADHD! Do you really think it’s just because he has Attention Deficit Disorder
—–
PING:
TITLE: Michael Phelps, ADHD, and a Loss for Words
URL: http://www.myaddblog.com/2008/08/michael-phelps.html
IP: 10.0.23.103
BLOG NAME: My ADD / ADHD Blog
DATE: 08/17/2008 12:09:22 AM
So Michael Phelps has just done an amazing thing by breaking a record and winning 8 Gold Medals. Yes, Michael Phelps has ADHD! Do you really think it’s just because he has Attention Deficit Disorder
—–
PING:
TITLE: Watching the Olympics
URL: http://www.myaddblog.com/2008/08/watching-the-ol.html
IP: 10.0.23.102
BLOG NAME: My ADD / ADHD Blog
DATE: 08/15/2008 07:10:28 PM
I was just laughing out loud at the Blog post that Jennifer Koretsky wrote about the Olympics. Boy I can really related to being bored by most of the Olympics. I had no intention of