One of my favorite books on exercise is called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by Dr. John Ratey of Harvard Medical School. As a fitness trainer, I start recommend the book to all of my clients. With chapters addressing exercise and its affects on attention deficit disorder, childhood learning, addiction, aging, and menopause, Spark reveals what actually occurs in the brain during exercise. Neuroscience is presented in a fascinating, readable way for those of us uneducated in that brainiac realm.
Now, professional baseball player Shane Victorino has come forward to talk about his life as an athlete with ADD. There are 108 players in the MLB with medical exemptions, allowing for prescriptions of Ritalin or Adderall. It can’t be easy for a professional athlete to talk about a physical condition that could be perceived as a weakness. I admire Victorino being open about his disorder. He can be a positive example of what a child with ADD can become with enough exercise, determination, and medical help, where required.
Check out his Victorino’s new book: “Shane Victorino: The Flyin Hawaiian.”