Sweating It Out: The Surprising Benefits of Exercise for Men with ADHD
Wait! I know what you’re thinking. “OMG another blog telling me to workout…” *giant eye-roll*.
Look, yes, this is that kind of blog, but I promise, there’s a reason why it’s so important. As men with ADHD it can be too easy for us to get caught up and forget about the importance of self-care; in this series, we are going to be talking about some tips and tricks on self-care, and today’s is on the importance of exercise in ADHD management.
Because like it or not, regular physical activity has countless benefits for individuals with ADHD, including improving overall physical and mental health, reducing feelings of frustration and stress, and improving sleep. All major issues that we struggle with living with ADHD.
Improving Mental Health and Reducing Stress
When you have ADHD, there’s a lot of struggles with comorbidities that come from having too much stress and frustrations in our lives. As we get older, these frustrations and stress only get worse, and we have all seen how that’s affecting our anger and social interactions, especially with our families. Regular exercise helps us reduce these frustrations and stress, and it also helps improve a number of other issues we face such as depression and anxiety. (Gavin et al., 2017).
Improving Sleep
We see this struggle often in the group. Men who are having a hard time getting the sleep that they need, constantly tired, you can hear the exhaustion in their posts. We have to recognize that sleep is a huge part of managing our ADHD effectively. If we aren’t able to get our brains to shut down, then we can’t sleep. Sometimes, just by putting in place a decent exercise regimen is enough to quiet our minds enough to get rest. (Monden et al., 2015).
How do we maintain an exercise plan?
I get it, exercise is hard to maintain for the long wrong. However, the key to sticking with an exercise routine when you have ADHD is finding an activity that you genuinely enjoy. While many people think that they have to go walking down their random street, or a run, or hit the gym, there are actually way more options to choose from. So instead of getting bored and using that as an excuse to quit, make sure that you add variety to your exercise regimen first.
Try things like:
Exploration: Whether with a hiking group or alone, exploring your city on foot or bike, or joining an outdoor exploration group, there’s so many ways that you can get out of the house and just enjoy checking out new and interesting places.
Martial Arts: From stress relief, to building confidence, to making friends, martial arts is one of the best ways to exercise when it comes to ADHD. There’s a huge variety of styles out there, and regardless of if you are looking to be boxing like the next Mike Tyson or if you just want to have fun doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappling, or relaxed Tai-chi meditative movements, there’s a style out there that will meet your needs and keep your attention.
Dancing: Look, don’t look at me like that. I understand that many of us may feel too self-conscious about trying to dance. That’s the point. This does multiple things, it helps us work out through having fun, building self-confidence in a social setting, and it is exercise doing something interesting. So get out there and cut the rug with some folks doing some dancing. You’d be surprised at how much fun you may have, and you might even meet someone special as well.
Rock-Climbing: A large number of both urban and rural areas have places you can go where you can do climbing on an artificial wall or go out in the rural areas and climb various spots. This is a pretty great full-body exercise that many of us can really excel at, and it is fun.
Swimming: Sometimes we may not be in the best shape, or have physical comorbidities that prevent us from doing normal exercises. Swimming is always a great opportunity for us to get exercise that isn’t so hard on our bodies, and whether alone or with a group can really be beneficial in a number of ways.
Remember, the key to sticking with an exercise routine is finding an activity that you genuinely enjoy. Especially when you have ADHD. So if you're not a fan of traditional workouts, don't worry! You could always try something a little more out of the box, like...jogging backwards! That way, you'll be making progress in no time. (Because you'll be going backwards, get it?)
Set Realistic Goals
Remember our blog on S.M.A.R.T. Goals, these apply here! Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for yourself when it comes to exercise. This can help to keep you motivated and prevent burnout. Start small and gradually increase your intensity and duration as you become more comfortable, and above all, celebrate each and everyone of those milestones and wins you achieve!
Make Self-Care a Priority
It’s too easy for us to push exercise to the back-burner when it comes to self-care, but seriously, this is important. You aren’t getting any younger, the more that you put this off, the harder it will be. If you’re younger, it’s even more important for you to put these things in place, because as you get older your life will seem too hectic to fit it in. Schedule the times, and get some friends who can help you stay accountable. When you hit a snag, don’t quit! Learn from your mistakes and work through them.
Exercise is just one aspect of self-care, but it’s an important one. By incorporating physical activity into your routine, you’ll not only improve your physical health, but you’ll also experience the mental and emotional benefits that come with it. So, grab your sneakers, those dance shoes, your chalk, or a gi, and get moving! Your mind and body will thank you.
References:
Gavin, A. R., Dodd, S., Jones, R., & Hamer, M. (2017). Aerobic exercise improves cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes in individuals with ADHD: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(7), 979-993.
Sibley, B. A., Etnier, J. L., & LeMasurier, M. (2014). The cognitive and physical benefits of exercise for children with ADHD: a review. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(9), 935-947.
Monden, C., Miyake, Y., Sasaki, Y., Tanaka, K., & Yokoyama, Y. (2015). The effect of moderate-intensity exercise on sleep and daytime sleepiness in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Pediatrics, 166(4), 968-973.
