How I Developed an Exercise Routine to Combat ADHD
Thanks to my attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I often started exercise routines, hobbies, and projects before abandoning them shortly afterward. I used to rue missed opportunities to achieve proficiency in different disciplines, so I vowed to pick a hobby and stay the course. I picked exercise three years ago, and three years later, I'm happy to report I've stayed the course.
Exercise Helps ADHD, But Building a Routine Had a Problem
I've always been sporty, just not consistently. So, when I made exercise a non-negotiable mainstay of a post-diagnosis lifestyle, I didn't complicate matters. In my experience with ADHD, there's a natural inclination to get granular on a subject, to over-research it in a burst of intensity usually present for the birth of a new interest. Unfortunately, these bursts don't last long for me. They shine bright and burn out, and get forgotten about in relatively short order.
So, I didn't go microscopic with exercise this time. Instead, I simplified my process. I made regular the things I had done sporadically in the past: doing calisthenics, jumping rope, playing soccer, playing squash, practicing martial arts, and hiking. As long as I was exercising regularly and vigorously, I wasn't going to annoy myself about optimization. Am I exercising for at least five days a week? If the answer to that question was yes, then that was good enough.
Hear my thoughts on exercise and how it helps my ADHD in the video below.
APA Reference
Thomas, M.
(2022, April 12). How I Developed an Exercise Routine to Combat ADHD, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 22 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/livingwithadultadhd/2022/4/how-i-developed-an-exercise-routine-to-combat-adhd