Exercise is hitting. My brain gives up way before my body does. Even when I try and listen to music or watch shows while exercising, I just can’t keep at it.

Has anyone found an ADHD friendly way to exercise?

  • weariedfae@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    For me I can’t really exercise for exercise sake. I have to do an activity that happens to involve exercise, like a sport, swimming, or hiking.

    Things I have tried and enjoyed:

    • net sports like badminton and volleyball
    • trampoline park
    • a martial art
    • roller skating/blading at a rink, similarly ice skating
    • a hobby that involves having to hike, brain want hobby reward so will put up with endless trudging…barely
    • swimming / surfing / snorkeling / diving
    • VR games (fr, quite the workout)
    • having a dog and using dog as motivation to walk more
    • amusement park or fair (because I will get my damn money’s worth and walk for like 10 hours straight)

    Extreme social anxiety, covid, money, and no longer being in college with “free” or cheap access to things have ruined most of these for me but my point was to do a THING that happens to need you to move your body. Not just exercise (bleh). This is how you trick your traitorous brain.

  • andrew@lemmy.stuart.fun
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    6 months ago

    As with many things, it didn’t stick for me until it did and once I was in the habit, it’s actually harder to skip than to just go. Even if I’m not thrilled about the workout, I still end up going because it’s wired in now.

    That said, I do listen to podcasts almost exclusively at the gym and that can make it kinda exciting if there’s a good one coming up.

    • Tedrow@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Most people with ADHD have brains that are diametrically opposed to habit forming. Every single task that I do every day is performed deliberately.

    • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      But how did you get to that point? Weeks of grinding out the task? Reminders? Alarms?

      • krashmo@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        The same way you build any habit. The last two can be helpful but the first is the only essential piece. You make yourself do whatever it is you’re trying to start doing until it feels weird to not do it.

        • iheartneopets@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          Are you aware of what sublemmy you are in, lol? Or are you some kind of magical adhd-er who can actually form habits like neurotypical people do? If so, I am so, so very jealous

          • krashmo@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Oh I’m aware. Still, it’s not a complex process conceptually. It’s certainly more difficult to actually do than it is to outline but that’s true for a ton of things. ADHD will make things harder to implement but it doesn’t fundamentally alter the formula.

  • iamericandre@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I’ve found success with HIIT type exercises because you’re switching your motion every minute with rest in between. It’s easy to stay focused because of the variety and how quickly it changes.

  • mhredox@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    VR hands down.

    It’s the only workout that has ever stuck for me, because it really doesn’t even feel like a workout. Games like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip can burn as many calories per hour as playing tennis, and are genuinely super fun.

    https://vrhealth.institute/portfolio/beat-saber/ https://vrhealth.institute/portfolio/pistol-whip/

    I started playing regularly at the beginning of lockdown and ended up losing around 50lbs. I would play Pistol Whip until I was completely drenched and could barely stand anymore, but I still wanted to keep playing! I got a plugin for the valve index that measures your activity and your calories burned, and I can easily burn 1200 calories during a session… YMMV though.

  • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    Run directly away from home, when you get bored, you’re 50% done. Run home if you want it to be over faster

    • pHr34kY@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      “You’re not going for a run, you’re just running away!”

      - My wife when I do this.

  • Wallaby@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    An actual bicycle. Constant change of scenery and not getting hit by cars really keeps me engaged.

    • CreateProblems@corndog.social
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      6 months ago

      100% this. Biking is such a game changer. I’ve never enjoyed any physical fitness effort as much as I enjoy biking. Running hurts too much for me to enjoy it but point is, doing something outside with changing scenery keeps me in the zone. Plus if I ride out 10 miles and get bored, I have to ride 10 miles back home.

      I’d also recommend group fitness classes. If there’s an instructor telling me what to do, rather than me trying to self-motivate, I work out much more effectively and enjoy it more.

    • Jayb151@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Agreed, best shape of my life was when I took a rock climbing class… And now I haven’t excersised in years.

      • hulemy@ani.social
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        6 months ago

        Same, it’s sad I live an hour+ away from the gym tho, otherwise I would do it so much

  • colonelp4nic@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Other than medication, the only thing that works for me is going consistently with someone else. Playing games like tennis or racket ball also keeps my brain from giving up. Indoor bouldering where I can make progress on smaller routes can keep me from losing motivation or getting bored, too

  • W3dd1e@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    I feel you. I am like this with so many things.

    When I started going to the gym, the only way I could get myself to go was to watch a show on my phone while working out. The catch is, I told myself I was only allowed to watch the show while I was working out. If I want to know what happens next, I had to get on a treadmill.

    I fell out of the habit last summer and getting back into it has been a huge struggle.

    • surewhynotlem@lemmy.worldOP
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      6 months ago

      This works as long as the show dopamine is higher than the difficulty getting to the gym. Very few shows hold my interest THAT much past the first couple seasons.

  • Cheskaz@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Bouldering was a breakthrough for me. I didn’t like top rope climbing because climbing just felt like an endurance test (admittedly, I was not climbing well) and I found belaying both boring and extremely stressful.

    But bouldering feels like solving a puzzle and is something I can do both by myself and socially.

  • hulemy@ani.social
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    6 months ago

    Personally I hated team sports and things like going to the gym, but bouldering is really fun for me. It doesn’t feel like it’s forced or repetitive and you can choose what you want to do and it feels more live solving puzzles than sport. Am only a 5A+ so far but having fun.

    What also helps is the atmosphere is very chill in the boulder gyms near me.

    • 0ops@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Great suggestion. I hate lifting weights, but bouldering is a ton of fun. Any sport sport that’s physical is honestly a good idea. Doing something fun for exercise is like eating those limon hot Cheetos, you don’t actually feel the burn until you stop.

  • fakir@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    When I was in college (a few decades ago), I was quite athletic, but once, I participated in a little marathon. 20 minutes in, I realized this was dumb & just walked back to the starting point. I still remember my thoughts - like why am I chugging along, rattling my entire being, & for what purpose, it’s just boring & pointless. I think with ADHD, we’re always calculating effort applied & reward received, & exercise is hard to justify. I haven’t run for fun ever.

    • rosymind@leminal.space
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      6 months ago

      Yeah, every time I try to use any exercise equipment I get ANGRY. I feel WORSE than I did beforehand. No sense of accomplishment, no endorphines, just irritation

      If I go for a walk where I can explore for miles, I’m happy. Dancing also makes my brain tingle. I get more joy out of vacuuming and other housework than a tredmil or elliptical machine.

      F THAT! Feels pointless and I can’t seem to convince myself otherwise. Same for running. It’s meh unless I’m trying to get somewhere fast (and I already speed walk as it is)

    • miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      Yeah, this is why it’s important to try and break down large goals into smaller goals. (I’m not saying it’s easy though)

      Look at building muscle for example. What you need to do is focus on the little improvements, one extra rep each week, one extra pound each week. Make that your goal every single workout, instead of beating yourself up over the fact that you don’t look like 5x Mr Olympia Chris Bumstead yet.
      (Which you won’t anyway, but that’s another story)

      We want short-term success, instant gratification, but excercising for improving our health is a long-term project, whichever way you do it.

      So you need to train in a way that gives you these smaller achievements sprinkled throughout the weeks, months and years.

      How though, that’s highly individual and depends on the person.

  • Faildini@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Someone else mentioned VR games, if you can afford the gear I second that recommendation. Some games can be quite the workout, and it doesn’t feel like I’m convincing myself to exercise because I’m just playing video games.

    • WalrusDragonOnABike [they/them]@reddthat.com
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      6 months ago

      Third this suggestion. Haven’t played much more than beatsaber, but its more of a workout than a bike ride for me. Of course its what you make of it. I personally like fast songs and I intentionally try to use my arms to swing at least partly. If you just use your wrists, you’ll probably get less of a workout. There’s also maps focused on fitness (lots of wall dodging and squats) if you want to do those (I typically find them less fun, so I don’t really play them).

      OTOH, if you can make commuting by bike your normal means of commuting, that can be a way to be consistent in getting exercise. Even if using an ebike and only getting light exercise.