I just love this podcast from Distraction with Dr. Ned Hallowell featuring Jessica McCabe from How to ADHD.

It has been long known that there are many benefits to regular exercise, and I’ve always placed exercise as something of relative importance in my struggle to stay healthy both mentally and physically. Of course, actually getting around to doing the exercise as often as I feel I should has been only marginally successful, thanks to the difficulties of being consistent while having ADHD, but I never stopped to consider that not only is exercise important in general, it may be particularly important in helping to alleviate some of the symptoms of my ADHD.

In the podcast, McCabe and Hallowell discuss just how important exercise is, not only for the average person, but in particular, for those of us who have ADHD. The findings on this are, at least for me, revolutionary. Exercise increases those very same chemicals in the brain (dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) that are lacking in the ADHD brain and contribute to our inability to focus and transition attention. Which means that after we exercise, the executive function part of our brain responds at more average levels, increasing productivity.

What’s more, over time, these increases in productivity will become longer lasting. So do you have to become a body builder to reap these benefits? No. Studies have shown that a simple exercise such as a 30 minute walk 4 times a week is enough to get the productivity flowing. I, personally, do yoga and cardio-kickboxing (although I have had to take the intensity down several levels during my pregnancy). They also suggest activities such as dance, martial arts and gymnastics, where careful attention must be paid to body movement, are good for kids and teens with ADHD.

So when you feel like you can’t focus well enough to get any task done, instead of succumbing to watching television, playing video games, or fiddling around with social media, try taking a walk outside and see if that changes anything. It may not replace medication, but a more active lifestyle could potentially add to the benefits.