| |
| |
|
Exercise Information |
|
|
|
Strategies for Alleviating the Boredom Associated with Exercise
Just about every expert in the ADD field will tell you that exercise is one of the best ADD management strategies there is. According to the book Delivered from Distraction: "When a person exercises, she sets in motion a cascade of events that her brain loves. She sends more blood to her brain. With more blood comes more oxygen. Exercise also stimulates the release of a plethora of nutrients, hormones, chemical precursors of neurotransmitters, growth factors and cleansing agents that bathe the brain in precisely what it needs to function at its best." From Delivered from Distraction by Edward Hallowell, M.D. and John Ratey, M.D. Copyright 2005. Page 219. And in addition to the health and focus benefits, exercise feels good. So why don't we do it more? For many adults with ADD, the answer to that question is "boredom". When exercise becomes boring for an ADDer, it becomes something to avoid. Here are 4 strategies for alleviating the boredom associated with exercise: 1. Get out of the Gym Many ADDers join gyms with a lot of excitement, only to find that their enthusiasm wears out quickly. Being on a stationary bike, treadmill, or stair climber for 30 minutes begins to seem like torture after a while. Instead of feeling forced to get your exercise at this gym, take these activities outside. Walk or bike around the neighborhood, or find some real stairs to climb! Change of scenery goes a long way in alleviating boredom. 2. Follow the Seasons Find seasonal activities that you might enjoy. In the winter, skiing, ice skating and snow showing are great forms of exercise. In the summer, the choices are almost limitless: team sports, swimming, rollerblading, biking, etc. 3. Join an Activity Club or Take a Class A great way to ensure that you get regular exercise is to follow some pre-set structure. Exercise classes that meet once or twice a week for an hour or so will really help you shape up. Try dance or martial arts classes for a good workout! Or, if there is a physical activity that you really love, but never allow yourself the time to enjoy, give yourself permission to join an activity club. You'll meet new people, spend more time on what you enjoy, and get your exercise in the process. 4. Use Music If you must go to the gym, bring along some headphones and some fun music. It will keep your energy level up, and will allow you to focus on something a little more interesting than the wall in front of your exercise equipment. Exercise is an excellent tool for managing ADD. It offers many physical and mental health benefits, and it can be a lot of fun! Remember, when an ADDer starts to get bored with exercise, it's time to mix it up. Note: Always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine. Jennifer Koretsky is a Professional ADD Management Coach who helps adults manage their ADD and move forward in life. She encourages clients to increase self-awareness, focus on strengths and talents, and create realistic action plans. She offers a 90-day intensive skill-building program, workshops, and private coaching. Her work has been featured in numerous media, including The New York Times Magazine and The Times (UK). To subscribe to Jennifer's free email newsletter, The ADD Management Guide, please visit http://www.addmanagement.com/e-newsletter.htm
MORE RESOURCES:
Exercise - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
When Exercising Right Looks Wrong II Enter any health club and a concept is very apparent, the same exercise performed again and again. Crowded floor space taken up by machines designed to make exercise easier, and a thought process called 'gym science' which involves no science at all. 10 Workout Mistakes Cheaters Make "When I'm lifting free weights, I tend to go pretty fast on the downward motion when I'm supposed to be using more control," says Beth Pekol, who works in banking in Chicago."I lean on the StairMaster when I'm on it," says Shaun Stewart, a new bride who lives in Memphis. Integrating Core Stabilization into Your Workouts Stabilization is a hot topic in the fitness industry over the past few years. But what is stabilization? Stabilization can be defined as the body's muscular systems ability to support (stabilize) the body during movement. How to Pick a Good Personal Trainer One of the major benefits of the YourBestBodyNOWProgram and several other programs like it is that you can lose weight and meet your fitness and weight loss goalseven if you have neither the time nor money to get a personal trainer.At the same time, if you do ultimately decide to hire trainer at some point,I want to make sure that you are going about it in a way that will bring you the absolutemaximum benefit. After Exercise Headache - More Serious Than You Think? It's surprisingly common - you're exercising, everything's fine, and then POW - a headache strikes! Or, sometimes, a headache hits while you're exercising. Is it just a minor annoyance? Or could it be a signal that something serious is going on? Should you go to the doctor, or just shrug it off?If you already suffer from headaches or migraine, it may just be that your exercise is starting the headache chain-reaction. 3 Steps To Starting a Successful Fall Exercise Program Ah, the crisp cool breeze, the invigorating feel of the outdoors as the leaves start to turn colors, the sound of kids laughing on their way to school.Fall is the time for new beginnings. Weight Loss, Bodybuilding, and Exercise Tips - Keeping Your Body-fat Low; Part 1 of 10 Ever go to a party and wish you were the guy/girl that was considered the life of the party? They just seem to work every part of the room effortlessly. One minute you see them by the coffee table, then seconds later they are talking to someone by the refrigerator. Stretching for Health Lack of flexibility is now seen to be a major cause of general health problems and sports injury and is being linked to everything from stress. back pain, and even osteoarthritis. The Lactate Threshold - Reality or Fallacy? For many years exercise science has perpetuated the concept of a lactate threshold - a point during exercise where a sudden, sharp increase is noted in the concentration of lactate in the blood. This phenomenon is supposedly noticed when blood samples are taken from subjects performing incremental to max exercise tests much the same as a VO2 max test. Core Strength Limits Arm and Leg Power Core training has become such a hot topic in the exercise field recently and rightly so. Ask just about anyone what they understand about the body's core and you're likely to get an answer as it being the abdominal muscles. Exercise Smarter Not Harder - 10 Ways to Make Consistent Progress in Your Exercise Plan! My name is Greg Ryan. I am a fitness expert, professional bodybuilder personal trainer to movie stars, and former employee of Kathy Smith. Stay Mentally Focused When Training When you decide to exercise, try to really stick to your training routine and don't get sidetracked by too much socializing. When you socialize with friends, your mind usually starts to wander off and you really start to lose focus on your main objective, which is to train hard and get out of there. Fitness Focus: Overcoming Obstacles If you're like me, the quest to be in shape, manage weight and overall well-being, at times, feels overwhelming. And, as if the quest to be fit isn't hard enough, there's often other obstacles to overcome: health issues, time management, mustering up courage or energy. The Degradation of Fitness Science The world and our selves evolve and exist in a cyclic fashion; good times and bad? ups and downs? we experience changes that seem to repeat, including everyday cycles of sleep-wake and cell regeneration. History is a broad example of cycles, whereby we enter the "dark ages" followed by an "age of enlightenment. Weight Loss & Low Body Fat - High Calorie Burning Techniques During Workouts! My name is Greg Ryan. I am a fitness expert, professional bodybuilder, personal, trainer to movie stars, and former employee of Kathy Smith. The Great Forgotten Exercise -- Parallel Bar Dips When it comes to building lower pectorals, triceps and frontal deltoids, dips are without doubt one the best exercises I've ever used. They are seldom used nowadays and the reasons are plain to see: you have to be able to handle your own bodyweight for reps - unless you have access to one of those fancy-dan machines that allow you to dip (or chin) with less than body weight. Got A Cold - Should You Work Out? A recent study sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that exercising moderately while you have a common cold doesn't affect the severity or duration of the symptoms.It's a widely excepted notion that exercising and keeping in shape will reduce your risk of getting sick, but nothing has been previously documented to demonstrate whether working out while suffering from a cold would reduce or intensify the symptoms. Top 10 Tips For Finding Time For Exercise If you're like most people, finding time for exercise is difficult. Here are my "top 10" tips to help you in that quest. Why Core is Key Do you currently suffer or have you ever suffered from any of the following: Lower back pain, frequent hamstring injuries, a twisted knee or a pulled shoulder?Have you ever considered that it may not be just the fact that you slipped and twisted something or your back simply 'goes'? It could be you need to strengthen your core?Core training is a buzzword in the fitness industry that's been around for a while now. The measure of its popularity can be seen in the increased use of stability balls or Swiss in gyms, books, classes & videos and the fact that big name clothing stores are even selling stability balls alongside underwear and belts!But in order to train something correctly we must understand exactly what it is we are training. Finding Time to Exercise Exercising During Commercials I'm getting up an hour earlier these days. At first I said I'd never be able to do it: I was already sleep deprived rising at 6 AM how would I ever get up at 5 AM? I'd never be able to get to sleep earlier (this is still true), and a hundred other reasons why it wouldn't work.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
