When Movement Works as Medicine

Managing my ADHD symptoms with exercise...


I figured out pretty early in my college career that trying to sit at a desk or in a library all day to get work done was not going to work for me...

I hadn't really paid much attention before that. I needed a physical education credit for my associates degree, so I dropped a soccer class into my schedule right off the bat.  I discovered quickly that I looked forward all day to that class!

After that semester, I didn't *need* any more credits, but I stuck a ballet class on my schedule, anyway.

Not only did my physical class give me a much needed break from my studies, I began to notice it was a little easier to focus and organize information when I worked on my homework afterward.

It turns out, I'm not the only person to make this observation, and science backs it up!


I left the community college for the university and continued toward my undergraduate degree. I studied civil engineering and spent quite a bit ALL of time in the books. However, I kept a page from my previous experiences and signed up for ballet class that first semester.


It turned out, there was an option for me to minor in dance, but it would take a little longer to finish my degree program. I didn't think twice about it, and I started incorporating the dance classes into my schedule.  They weren't all technique classes, but the change of pace and venue still did quite a bit to help keep my head in the game and my mind on course.
I enjoyed topics like: "Musculoskeletal Concepts for Dancers", "Movement Efficiency for Athletes", and "Laban Movement Analysis".

I graduated with honors (unheard of in my prior schooling experiences), and I can assure you that incorporating all that regular exercise into my schedule contributed in a huge way to my scholastic success.

Now, I'm adulting (yes, I insist that it's a real word) and continue to manage my symptoms with regular exercise.  If I have a huge to-do list that feels overwhelming, I can start with a solid 30-minute workout.  It serves to help clear my brain of the minutia clamoring around and helps me focus on one task at a time.

Obviously, the benefits are relatively short lived (the focus will begin to wander again within several hours), but it gives me an accessible tool that I can use as-needed to help bring some order to the chaos that inevitable accompanies my condition.

Now, when I say "as-needed", I mean every. single. day.

Even my husband notices when I've missed a workout!!

I've found exercise and movement to be so beneficial, I share the idea with EVERYONE!!

It isn't *only* the ADHD mind that benefits from working out!  EVERY mind benefits from it!

Are you ready to give it a shot?

Ask me about how you can join one of my monthly groups where we have an entire community doing it with us!!

Just send me a message on Facebook!