Exercise on the Brain...

Exercise, oh how I have always loved our long distant relationship.  The kind where a few times of year we meet up on a random hike or a bike ride and then I swear you off again when I cannot walk for days afterward.  Besides, who has time for it anyway?  Or at least… that is what I used to think when taking the time to ponder a physical fitness regimen and why it did not and could not fit into my own life.  I was blessed by a metabolism that has always been relatively forgiving and as a result I viewed exercise as both time consuming and unnecessary.   That game changed; however, almost instantly upon the arrival of my thirties.  Suddenly everything I ate just sort of seemed to stick and I decided to march into my local gym on December 31^st and make myself a New Year’s cliché.

Time passed and while many aspects of my physique are a testament enough to the wonders of time and commitment to regular physical activity, the real change has been in my brain chemistry.  Most of us are aware that exercise naturally increases the production of endorphins making us naturally happier while simultaneously reducing stress.  But the game changer here in the case of people with ADHD is that exercise also (and this is the important part) significantly and immediately elevates dopamine and norepinephrine levels and keeps them elevated for a significant amount of time.  Doctors have discussed at length the benefits of regular exercise for the ADHD brain by helping to control impulsivity while waking up the executive function of the frontal cortex.  So what we are really talking about is exercise = a natural form of medication.

I will admit, I never really believed I would be able to get into a routine at a gym after living a long and happy life of a skinny fat person (trim but underneath the clothes completely out of shape).  So when I snapped to it with regular consistency and enthusiasm it struck me… I get far more out of sweating to the oldies than just a better body. 

In the beginning it was hard for me to justify daily trips to the gym because of the time it would take.  In an ADHD brain the act of packing up, going to the gym, coming home, showering all seemed like a bit too much to throw into my already over taxed life.  Oh, but how mistaken I was.  Soon I realized that gym days overall ended up being far more productive than days when I skipped out and stayed home (and, oh, lets say… ended up blowing four hours on facebook or watching Real Housewives marathons). 

So here’s to exercise. Paying for the gym membership is my motivation to go consistently, but if you are the kind of person who can get excited by a morning run or a Yoga class it all adds up to the same thing, a refreshed sense of focus and calm.