How to exercise with ADHD
(WITHOUT hating your life!) 🌟
Hey there,
Does the thought of exercising make you want to crawl back into bed?
Would you rather iron your hands than put on your running shoes?
I get it.
Working out can feel SO boring and difficult, and it takes a TON of motivation. 😩
But there’s a better way for us to do things! 🌟
So in this edition of Organized Chaos, we’ll talk about:
- Why people with ADHD struggle to exercise regularly
- What’s ACTUALLY holding most of us back
- How you can overcome it and start being active (WITHOUT hating your life!)
Let’s go!
Why people with ADHD struggle to exercise regularly:
First off, adulting is hard.
We have so many responsibilities and so little time to manage everything, so we need an infinite amount of executive function just to keep up.
Most people feel drained from simply surviving the day.
No wonder the thought of exercising feels exhausting!
It’s yet another task you have to find time for and motivate yourself to power through— not to mention the potentially boring and painful activities… no thanks. 🫠
When did exercising become such a chore?!
As kids, we had no problems doing it, and no second thoughts!
We’d be on the playground, climb trees, run around the park, and ride our bicycles with NO need for motivation, end goals, or any specific plans.
So, what happened?
What’s actually holding most of us back:
Well, I blame the system.
It teaches us that life is all about transactions.
Study so you can pass your tests → so you can get a good grade → to graduate → to get a job → to work for money → to buy stuff you don’t need, etc. 🤦🏻♀️
So that’s how we start seeing exercise – as a means to an end, something you do to look hot, to be healthy, to meet the WHO guidelines so you don’t die or whatever…
These reasons might be important and all, but they’re definitely NOT EXCITING or motivating enough!
Not when you have all this other sh*t going on.
👉🏻 So let’s forget about looking hot for a second, and focus on being active first.
How to start being active (WITHOUT hating your life!):
Simple.
Kids don’t struggle with exercise, because they do it for the fun of it. 💥
Fun is easy. Fun is.. fun. You know?
THAT is motivating.
STEP (rule number) #1:
Did you love jumping on the trampoline as a kid?
What about roller skating? Jump rope? Hula Hoop?
Think of some fun sports you may have enjoyed back then to get yourself hyped to start over. Maybe even make a list.
The next time you have some energy and inspiration – try one of those!
STEP #2:
Start small and don’t force yourself.
Kids love to ask for “just 5 more minutes”, so get on that timeline.
It will help keep your spirits high and your chance of injury low.
STEP #3:
Make time for it.
I’m not saying force yourself to do it at a certain time, of course, but you do want to have free time for when you feel ready.
Take inspiration from kid schedules, like “after I do homework, I will play in the park” – that’s a solid plan!
STEP #4:
Track your progress. It will keep you accountable in the beginning and help you celebrate your wins later on.
Kids don’t do this, but they’re also not subscribed to this newsletter, so…
Use any habit tracker to cross off your successful days, and place it somewhere where you’ll see it often.
STEP #5:
Prepare yourself with lots of ADHD-friendly hacks. Here’s the most helpful ones:
💡 Make exercise extra fun by combining it with other things you love – your favourite music, youtube video, audiobook, podcast, movie, workout spot, workout clothes, time of day, anything to do with environment, etc.
Music can be especially powerful for motivation. Think Eminem – Lose Yourself. Chills. 🥶
💡 Tell others about your journey to keep you accountable.
Like I’m telling you!
Bonus points if you get them to join you for some social time and fun.
💡 Plan to reward yourself when you need extra motivation, cause jogging to the ice-cream shop sounds a lot more exciting! 😋
💡 Set goals that have nothing to do with your body or health sometimes.
Remember, kids DGAF about those things. Vanity metrics.
What about 20 jumps on the jump rope without messing up? Now that’s dope.
💡 If you can make a game out of it, even better.
You probably won’t even notice the time passing.
💡 Get creative looking for new sports to try and switch it up often!
I’m talking Pokémon Go, VR games, climbing parks, jungle gyms, dancing games, paintball, LARP, birds-and-bees-type of activities, etc.
There’s everything out there these days!
That’s how I’ve been exercising regularly for over 2 and a half years now.
If you want to follow my step-by-step guide, and see exactly what I did, you should definitely watch my most recent video here!
It’s PACKED with more in-depth information so I’m confident you’ll be ready to start (and ROCK!) your own fitness journey by the end of it.
And remember:
Love,
Antonia
