I am constantly toying with ways to improve my focus and attention through nutrition, sleep and exercise.
When I was a child, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. I didn’t like being labeled (I despise labels in general) but I wasn’t alone. I rubbed elbows with 13.5% of boys 3-17 years diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
My early educational career was a grind. By the time I was in 7th grade, I was ditching classes. I had next to no interest in the material and spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy finding ways not to attend. It took every ounce of effort I had to graduate high school while staying eligible to play baseball, even with the relatively low bar of the public Los Angeles Unified School District standards.
As a boy, I was prescribed both Ritalin and Dexedrine, two stimulants used to control the symptoms of ADHD. They definitely boosted my middle school academic prowess, but I strongly disliked the side effects. First, they suppressed my appetite. I was a young athlete desperately attempting to get bigger and stronger; I needed every calorie available. Second, my personality became rather subdued, and I knew even at 11 that it felt unnatural. I stopped swallowing those pills rather quickly.
The struggles didn’t disappear, however. As a Major League Baseball player in my twenties, there were times where my focus would waver on defense. I would have to literally shake myself to come back to the present. I can remember running down a ball hit in the gap in Texas, but I still don’t know how I did it. I was on a completely different planet when it was hit. Then, by some universal stroke of kindness, the rock was in my glove for the third out. I jogged groggily back to the dugout and was greeted with high-fives. None of my teammates were aware of the travels of my spacey brain. Phew.
Now, at 38, I have substantially more interest in my work than I did as a 6th grader, but my focus wavers substantially at times, to the degree that it affects my ability to organize my thoughts. Despite my creativity, the ratio of time spent to my output is not something I’m thrilled with. Do I still have ADD? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t give a shit. The diagnosis doesn’t matter; I only care about my ability to optimize my life for better productivity and sharper communication.
During the middle of my playing career, I decided to go back and see that childhood doctor. He once again prescribed Ritalin. As it did when I was a child, the pills wrecked my appetite and sucked the personality out of me. That experiment didn’t last long, and it was back to the drawing board.
I can now comprehend and articulate what I recognized even back then. The best ways to improve my concentration and focus are alterations to my exercise, nutrition, and breathing routines. This formula sits well with me and jibes with my general approach to health.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know how passionately I feel about personal trial and error. I’m a long way from discovering the optimal program for my brain, but I continue to tinker by throwing all my resources at the wall to see what sticks and what slides down.
My first chuck is always physical activity. After a good workout, I’m almost always clearer upstairs. I often write during or post training. From webmd.com:
When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which helps with attention and clear thinking. People with ADHD often have less dopamine than usual in their brain.
My dopamine release is just fine, thank you. Kaplifestyle.com is judgment free, webmd.
You know about my take on consuming humanely raised and butchered animal flesh. Who knew the practice led to improved focus? From additudemag.com:
Foods rich in protein — lean beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, soy, and low-fat dairy products — can have beneficial effects on ADD symptoms. Protein-rich foods are used by the body to make neurotransmitters, the chemicals released by brain cells to communicate with each other.
This is lovely, and I’ve personally experienced boosts in productivity with my experimentation in these arenas. However, my current point of interest is a red dot on the caffeine map.
I believe in most things in moderation. You likely know about my passionate love affair with coffee, but in case you missed this post on caffeine reduction, check it out and rejoin us.
Here’s my dilemma. I’ve found that caffeine in high doses is my most effective focus enhancer. From psychcentral.com:
As it is a stimulant, caffeine has been investigated as a potential treatment for attention deficit disorder. Its use as a therapy is not widespread because it was found in research studies to be less efficient than other stimulants. But experts writing in 2008 suggest the doses were too low to have a consistent effect. They say that if caffeine proves useful, it “would represent a qualitative increment over the traditional repeated use of psychostimulants, which can have severe side effects if repeatedly used in children.”
When I consistently sip black coffee throughout the day, I’m sharper on radio, TV and in my writing. This is both good news and bad news, obviously. I’ve found a stimulant that works for me without the side effects I experience on more traditional prescriptions, but it does come with its own negative factors.
I don’t have the answers to all the questions on this topic, and I may never reach a finish line. I did vow to share my journey with you. Because we’ve established a bond over the course of the last seven months, I’m comfortable coming at you with my tie loosened.
Kap
Kap, I loved this and all your articles. I can’t tell you how much these daily articles help me in my daily life and give me much needed guidance in a lot of areas. Thank you for all that you do!!
John, thank you. I’m inspired when I hear that the blog is reaching people.
Warmly,
Kap
“Guidance” is a good word here. Kap’s blogs have generated a lot of ideas for me to experiment with over the last few months. So thanks, Kap.
And to you as well, AJM.
I am with you John. This post was more than just about ADHD. In fact by the end of the post I realized ADHD was just the vehicle for another brilliantly written and thoughtful post. Thanks Kap for enriching my life beyond words can express.
Wow, Karl. Thank you.
Kap,
Most studies agree that dairy has a negative impact on people with ADHD. Since you are a strong believer of trial and error… you may want to reduce your intake (we know you like your grass fed butter)…be well
Thanks, my friend.
Gabe, rethink your idea of ADD as a deficit and considerate it more of an attention hyperactivity. When you know what distracts you, is easier to clear your way of distraction. It’s not easy, but as one suffering from the same issues, avoiding the distraction or preparing for distraction, helps keep mind in the right direction.
I appreciate all feedback, Daniel. Thanks for bringing yours.
2 of my 3 children have been diagnosed with ADHD. My daughter uses coffee as her “prescriptive” and it seems to take the edge off her distractibility enough to help her. My son (14 yo) cannot take any of the meds because they exacerbate his nervous tics. He has a very hard time but through a solid support system at home and tutors to help with organization at school, he seems to be pushing through. We are working on his diet and its effect through trial and error. Trying nutritional changes has certainly given him a self awareness and wonderful view of how food can impact the look and feel of his body. Thank you for posting on this topic. Please continue to share your observations on ADHD since I have asked my boys (both baseball players as well) to subscribe to your blog. We are in Boston and were such great fans of yours when you were with the Sox. As an aside and at the risk of sounding “stalker-ish” 😉 which I assure you I am not…. your body is just beautiful! – a fine example of what hard work physically and nutritionally can do for a body. I would be remiss if I didn’t compliment you on your appearance and obvious love for your temple. Keep us the good work!! Peace – Christine
Christine,
Thanks for the kind words. I miss Boston with regularity. Hope you’re well.
Kap
You have posted on many topics that both impress and inspire me and this is one of them. It is important for all of us to realize that we are human and that throughout our lives we will basically experiment with how to make our lives better. Most people think that athletes are perfect and have nothing to work on or have no room for improvement.
It can never hurt (regardless of whether you have ADD or ADHD) to work on improving one’s focus and attention because it really does improve your lifestyle. You touched on several different areas that can be done without the use of medication (exercise, diet). Sleep is another factor that is often ignored. I know from my own personal experience that changing my diet, increasing the amount exercise, and breathing techniques really helped me but I will continue to tweak all three.
Very nice article and photo! I am impressed by how much you have done without the medication (I can’t imagined what a diluted Kap would be like if you were still on Ritalin). Thanks again darling!
-Kelebek
Much respect. Thank you as always, Kelebek.
All-star grade content here. Life, desires, health, knowledge, almost everything is in constant evolution. One constant is that people will always need information, support, and optimism. I hope your focus stays there because that might be your most valuable trait. Did you have any inkling this is where you’d be when you retired? Do you have a long-term vision? I’ll hang up and take my answers on future blog entries.
Thanks, Gavin. I consider this part of the journey. I didn’t really have an endgame upon retiring from baseball. I figure I’ll continue to do what inspires in the moment. Today, I feel like writing, dig? As always, I appreciate you coming by and dropping encouragement. You have no idea how valuable it is.
Kap
Kap..I told you about my calf muscle. This article is spot on. I’ve been inactive for 6 weeks. Calf feeling better. Back to sipping my coffee and will start training again first thing am. thx
Nice, Craig.
The song Medicate by Edisun came to mind while reading this. I hate prescription pills and their side effects. It’s a daily struggle for some of us to overcome our personality traits and addictions. Seeking medical help for this, in the form of a pill, is gambling with your life. Once you’re hooked…
Your honesty is admirable, Gabe.
~Al~
My man. Thank you.
Kap thank you very much for willingness to share your life with us. Years ago I was at a nutrition and health conference and I remember the the instructor stated that clean organic eating could solve or reduce a lot of medical issues that we prescribe drugs for.
I’m a true believer of this and you’ve taken that to the next level with exercise, meditation, breathing techniques and my favorite…coffee!!! I’m happy for you and appreciate all you do. Thank you!!
The always dependable Duane, ladies and gentlemen.
In my Bob Sturm voice: “Keep doin’ what you doin’ Playboy! Keep it One Hondo…”
Thanks Gabe.
Kap, excellent read. I too was a long product of LAUSD and ADD designated and ritalin taker, for all of about a month and couldn’t take it any longer. I still find myself wandering at times. And now that I have two daughters, I have noticed that my older one, has the same symptoms of ADD that I had and she is a pitcher, so, her concentration has to be on. Since, then I have been providing her with tea from Hojas, it is located in Wilmington, CA. If you are ever over this way, you should stop in. They have plenty of mixed brews with medical benefits. Again, it is called Hojas, 1201 N Avalon Blvd, Wilmington, CA.
Hey Kap,
I been following your blog for a cpl weeks now and much of what you say resonates with me, but this has more than ever. I was not diagnosed with ADD until an adult. My ADD manifested itslef in the form of being obsessive about things. My lack of focus was overcome by routine. This helped me get things done, but if they didn’t get done or someone or something interrupted my routine there was a feeling that it was the end of the world. Knowing that someone at your level of athleticism as a professional athlete has struggled with this same issue and is open about it is inspirational. Just wanted to thank you for sharing your struggles and what you do to cope with something that will never go away. The gym is my refuge and the feeling I have when I leave can not be duplicated by any drug or drink!! Tks!!
Hi Kap 🙂
A great resource for this subject specifically with the effects of exercise on the brain is a book by John J Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Clinical Psychiatrist called ” Spark-Revolutionary New Science of a Exercise and the Brain,” He goes into the subject of ADD-ADHD and how exercise is a great tool to help deal with these challenges.
All the best my friend.
Jim
Hey Kap: As the father of 4 boys; 33, 31, 11, and 7, my gut tells me that all boys have some level of ADHD. And I’m not convinced that it should be categorized as a “disorder’ in the majority of kids. When approached by a concerned teacher my first question was/is “What are your expectations?” I know that each of our boys learned differently, and they each had a different level of attention depending upon their interest in the subject matter. They all had a few things in common; they all need to eat healthier foods, they all need to get more rest, they need to get adequate exercise, and all of our boys need to read more. Come to think of it that could probably be said about their father too. 😉 Cool blog.
Hey Kap,
Re: coffee, “but it does come with its own negative factors.” Can you speak on those? Other than when you “[found] myself growing stressed and irritable” from an earlier post?
Love the blog,
Sean