Adult ADHD and Exercise

About two years ago, when I was still living in Boston, I found that love for running people are always talking about. That thing that gets them out of bed and running every day - a runner's "high." I found it and I loved it. Then, I started physical therapy school and lost any time for running to the hours and hours of classroom and out-of-classroom work. About a month ago, my wife and I began the Couch to 5k and it's amazing.To be honest, I've done the Couch to 5K before. When I lived in Houston, Texas, and when I first moved to Boston. I've never completed it, though. I've gotten to points when I could just run and run and run, but I've never actually stuck the the program. How do I plan on doing it this time?

Drumroll please.

How to Stick to Exercise - Even When You Have Adult ADHD

1. I have a partner doing it with me this time. Back in Beantown, my wife couldn't exercise with me because she was working for Boston Pride and had all of her hours accounted for with that. This time, she and I are accountable to each other. It's making a huge difference. When I'm feeling too tired to run, she tells me that's not acceptable and we go running anyway. If I get bored of running, she's telling me to bring my music along or we're able to talk during our runs. It's amazing.
2. I'm using an app that tracks my progress. For the most part, I'm anti-smart phone. I don't have any really hard evidence to support my opinion; I just hate that we are all on our phones doing stuff all the time. While running, though, I have my sports band on my forearm, my app telling me when to run and when to walk and my tunes pumping whenever I need them.
3. I am making running as comfortable and as easy as possible. Like I just said, I have an arm band so I don't have to hold my phone while I track my progress. I also have shorts with pockets, so I can hold my car keys and inhaler. I stick my driver ID into my phone armband so I don't have to bring my entire wallet. My most recent purchase was a water bottle pack. It straps around my waist (yes, sort of like the dreaded fanny-pack) and holds a nice bottle of water. It doesn't flop around much and I can stay hydrated in this insane Maryland midday heat (yes, for some reason, I keep running at the hottest times of the day - not smart).

Having a partner to stay accountable to, having an app that shows me my progress and not skimping on feeling good and hydrated while running are all keeping me motivated and keeping my runs structured enough to feel and be successful!

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