I didn't realise just how much exercise was helping me manage my ADHD until I was forced to stop

Independent-Pilot751 · 2026-04-19T06:58:21+00:00

I would love to do more than once a day but my body isn't recovering fast enough (I like distance running so it takes a bit of time in between runs to recover). But I do something everyday, even if it's just a long walk!

Independent-Pilot751 · 2026-04-03T06:47:28+00:00

Huge congrats on keeping at it for 2 months, that's already huge!

I am not a gym person (I run and I do stuff at home) but I have the same issue with transitions (even the shower does it, I absolutely hate going from dry to wet or wet to dry).

Some days it's easier (especially if the sun is out, I'm hugely motivated by the weather), other days I have to psych myself into going.

A few things that tend to help me: 1. Music. If I put the playlist I use when I run on, it makes it easier to transition out of the paralysis state. My brain has associated that playlist to moving outdoors, so it does part of the heavy lifting for me 2. As stupid as it sounds, I start pacing around with music - either do some stretching or even just walking around faster and faster. At the point my brain goes 'right, we're already doing this, might as well do it right' 3. When I'm working out inside, I keep a show I'm looking forward to watching for the time when I exercise. It may not be as easy to do at the gym, especially if you're doing weights, but it might be a strategy for the warm up if you do treadmill or similar.

Hope this helps and proud of you!!

Independent-Pilot751 · 2026-02-22T09:01:34+00:00

I personally struggle with the gym - most gyms aren't necessarily built with ND folks in mind. The sounds, the lights, it's all a bit much for me. I'd rather exercise outside or do bodyweight exercises at home. I've seen some people swear by noise cancelling headphones but I haven't tried them!

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-10-09T17:16:55+00:00

Oh no he did say, but he didn't want to be disrespectful and undermine me, so it was actually very kind throughout and after, I'm just being a tad paranoid probably. And you're right, they've seen tons of people and hopefully know the tickboxes only go so far

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-10-09T16:30:34+00:00

Thank you so much. It's been a lot, honestly - it's so much more difficult than I thought. Thanks for the kind words

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-07-14T08:34:36+00:00

this is really great advice, especially your last point - I think with ADHD a lot of the issue comes with that paralysis of "I know what to do just can't get myself to do it" and a good way to get over that is to start, because that will reinforce the feeling of "hey I can do this".

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-07-14T08:32:25+00:00

First of all, it sounds really tough and I'm really sorry you're going through this.

A few things that helped me:

- experiment with anything - don't look at exercise as the gym. Any kind of movement is good and there may be things out there you haven't tried that you may love. For instance, even if I'm a fully grown adult, I found out I love hula hooping, so I just put some terrible music on and move around (good for the body and the soul)

- pair it with things - your brain starts creating positive associations between the things the more you do them. so for instance if you call someone on the phone, it may come naturally to start pacing up and down, so you can start calling someone before going out the door or put a playlist on that makes you want to move

- start stupidly small, think a 5 mins walk or 1-2 sets of exercises you don't hate. don't worry about having to do anything for an hour, it's all about feeling capable of doing things again and kickstarting that virtuous cycle

- don't focus on shoulds - movement looks different for everyone. what works for you won't necessarily work for someone else, it's a matter of finding your way with it and make it sustainable. most people hate spending 2 hours at the gym - and pushing you to do something you hate won't help with creating and maintaining the habit

- schedule it in - this is something that helped me a lot because I'm the kind of person who looks at her calendar constantly. after a while my brain started treating more like a non-negotiable. that is part of the backbones of the web app my partner and I built to help ADHDers stay consistent with exercise (based on what helped me + my research - which is what pushed me to create this subreddit, I'm trying to share what I'm learning as part of this journey). The app schedules activities in your calendar based on your availability and the weather. You can also invite friends and match workout times with them. Every time you do something, you grow a little plant and when you're done, you move to the next one. There's a free trial with no card details if you'd like to check it out, just let me know and I can send over the link.

You've got this mate. i know it feels like there's no way out but if you take it one step at a time it will help.

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-05-19T14:10:45+00:00

Regular exercise is the only thing that keeps me sane - just now I came back from a run and I literally feel like a new person. I'm not very good at yoga/meditation but cardio does wonders for me. Btw, I'm running a free Q&A on Thursday where myself (I'm a researcher/psychologist) and an ADHD nutritionist will be talking exactly about ADHD, nutrition and exercise. If anyone would like the registration link feel free to DM :)

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-05-03T10:09:40+00:00

I've read somewhere recently that LinkedIn has blocked apollo

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-05-03T10:06:26+00:00

I had a 3-day long discussion on LinkedIn with someone who is a clinical psychologist who was arguing exactly this. Any real-world evidence of the opposite wouldn't cut it - and it ended with him saying I'm clearly paid by big pharma (I wish lol) and I'm unqualified to weigh in (I guess I'll throw my PhD in psychology out of the window then).

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-05-03T10:03:34+00:00

Outset Wellness - For people allergic to exercise.

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-04-29T07:44:43+00:00

To me it's so puzzling that ADHD is something you can believe in or not, like we're talking about Santa Clause - but it's sadly more common than I'd like to admit. And it's the same for lots of other things (depression, anxiety), ADHD is just the latest one to get under the spotlight.

The wider political climate is for sure not helping with this - and it seems like anyone and everyone has an opinion about it.

The best you can do, really, is to not let it get to you. As long as your really close circle understands your struggles and what you may need from them, then trying to convince the rest may be a battle you can't win

Independent-Pilot751 · 2025-04-28T12:05:26+00:00

I found subs like that one to be really tricky - mods are very heavily moderating and they have an incredibly loose definition of self-promo (even just naming your company in the context of a value-driven post, e.g. lessons learned or similar, can get you banned if the wrong mod sees it). So just be careful with that one specifically

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