Quote Originally Posted by Biciclista View Post
one other thing.
Once upon a time when people were not required to sit and stare at computer monitors (or tiny print) all day, ADHD was unknown.
Guys like my husband worked hard physical labor all day long and when they were done working, they went to bed... and never had a problem with all that energy...

Your body is blessed with a lot of energy and it is extremely taxing (and bad for you) to live our modern life style. So you bike. Ride like the wind. Enjoy it. Walk, run, swim. That's what you were designed to do.
But it's not that simple. It's not about excessive energy, it's about abnormal brains. The brains of people with ADHD are not the same as "normal" brains. It's why stimulant drugs don't hop them up, instead they make ADHD folks focused...because that unstimulated area of the brain is properly activated.

I really hate when people just casually suggest that it's a matter of getting adult and kids active. My 10 year old son can ride 35 miles on the back of our tandem...that doesn't take his symptoms away. It helps tire him out, but he still cannot focus and is jittery.

Not all people have exactly the same symptoms with ADHD. My brother has never been "hyperactive." His symptoms have never been as severe as my son's, which is how he managed to graduated 2nd in his HS class. He got very good at coping.

During kindergarten screening they encouraged us to hold our son back (we didn't, instead we enrolled him in a Montessori school, which has been amazing for him), even though the kid now scores advanced on standardized tests and has read the first 5 Harry Potter books in 2 weeks. He simply could not cope without his meds. No amount of physical activity eliminates the bulk of his symptoms.