Can a 30 Minute Workout Really Work?
As you might have heard, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 5 days a week. But is this really how often you should be working out? Some experts like to say that if you want to see long-term health benefits, try for 2 hours per week. Others say that any physical activity can make a difference.
We spoke with experts and had them weigh in on the optimal duration for your workouts. Here's what they said:
"The reality is that you only need 2 minutes of high-intensity activity to get the same health benefits as 30 minutes of moderate intensity," says ACSM's Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, PhD. For instance, research has shown that a 30 minute session of moderate exercise at 40% VO2 max intensity will burn about 250 calories. But a 2 minute sprint at 100%VO2 max intensity will also burn about 250 calories.
"In general, anything as short as two minutes will be sufficient for many people to get the same benefits as long term exercise," says Andrew M. Clark, PhD , professor of Exercise Science & Epidemiology and director of the Musculoskeletal Health and Sports Medicine Program at the University of Missouri at Columbia in Columbia, MO. "For those who would like more—or less—you can always do more or less."
"The definition of 'optimal' is different for everyone," says Daniel E. Efron, MD , professor of medicine (primary care) in the division of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. "For some, it could be a 15-minute walk in the morning. For others, it might be a 90-minute Zumba class with your co-workers."
However, if you think that any amount of physical activity is better than none at all, that shouldn't be true for everyone. "You may have certain risks that increase as you do more exercise," says Dr. Clark. For example, people who participate in long distance running are more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knees than those who don't run at all. Plus, if you argue that any amount of physical activity is better than none at all, then you might not have incentive to work harder—which could cut down on your results.
"It's also possible that if you do more than you can handle, you might get discouraged by not feeling the benefits and give up on physical activity all together," says Dr. Clark. "This is especially true for those who haven't been physically active recently."
The bottom line? Anything less than 2 minutes is probably fine for most people, but no one should force themselves to work out if it's causing injury or stress. If you're able to do an enjoyable workout—any time of day, anywhere—then by all means, exercise for 30 minutes a day. But if 90 minutes at the gym feels like torture, don't feel bad about taking a step back and relaxing for a while. You can always amp up your workouts later.
Source: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/can-30-minute-workout-really-work
Article Including Distractibility Exercise to Fight ADD:
There's a lot of information online about exercise and ADD. Many articles tell you that ADD is a result of dopamine imbalances within the brain and that exercise helps rebalance this chemical. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approximately 9% of children between ages 9 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. That number is up 58% from 2003 to 2011. A study done by the CDC found that children who have been diagnosed with ADD were 59% more likely to be obese than those without the disorder. This puts them at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. The symptoms of ADHD include hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. Most adults who have ADD or ADHD experience these symptoms as well as many others such as depression, family conflict, and dissatisfaction with life. While most people don't think about exercise and their ADD diagnosis together, many can actually relate to it on a personal level. Many find that constant movement helps relieve their ADHD symptoms and give them some much needed order in their day to day lives. "Movement is important for many people with ADD. Exercise takes the edge off. It gets out of control and distracting thoughts and helps you find order." - Terry DeEds, Ph.D. "I can relate to this because I also have ADD and look for movement in my life to help me calm down." - Alecia D., age 16
So does exercise reduce ADHD symptoms? According to researchers from the University of Florida at Gainesville, flywheel workouts help ADD kids focus while they sweat. The only way to make sure that your kids are getting enough exercise is to get their daily exercise in at home or at school. Many people will tell you that physical activity doesn't have an effect on ADD or ADHD but they are wrong. While it is true that there isn't any evidence that exercise helps ADHD, there is evidence to support the fact that inactivity makes it worse. The more kids sit still at school, the less ability they possess to focus and pay attention so its important to get them moving. Looking for some fun ways to exercise during the summer? Try flywheels! They can be done without weights and are very easy and safe for even kids with ADD/ADHD. Check out this video below for more information on flywheel workouts!
Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.
Conclusion: This is a very useful article and the fact that it uses the Clinical Practice Guideline as a source to create this guideline is good. The problem is that the guideline doesn't look at exercise for ADD in any depth and just gives the reader the impression that ADD is one single condition with one single treatment, which is not so. The fact that I had to read several times on what ADD was and how it differs from ADHD before I could even get down to some of the strategies explains how much there still needs to be done to diagnose it properly.
Many children, especially those with mild ADHD, can benefit from games apart from physical activity such as chess and video games.
Pure Fun For Kids with ADHD Source: http://www.