Your Health, Your Way
ADHD requires a minimum of 45 minutes of consecutive cardio 6x a week for an elevated heart rate to "fire up" the brain (in my zone of focus, no notifications except for my own household so solo therapy - mental recharge time by myself to recover from existing mental overstimulation), and lifting heavy weights at least 3-5 days a week on my prescription by my medical team (but regardless, if we worked hard at any sport or our strength, we really should continue to pursue it un-distracted and not slow it down for anyone as the right people will encourage all of your level-ups, they won't try to dissuade your goals that make you happy and give you even more zest for life - they won't destroy your peace or zap your energy).
Not doing this would be exhausting and draining for me (although doing this may seem tiring to others, this is how I recharge).
And this happens on my own time which takes nothing away from my craft.
This time has to be carved out and guaranteed though.
Normalize working out alone if that is what works for your oxygen mask requirements, don't allow anything that isn't your child/dependent bother this time.
Normalize activity if it is what stabilizes your mental wiring!
Besides, no amount of diversified coping mechanisms are going to work if you don't have time for them in the first place (i.e. un-necessary obstacles from sources other than household or dependents).
I do think sitting still and meditation audios are a fabulous counterpart to weightlifting and Pilates, but I think it's important to ensure we have the time guaranteed/carved out (without worry of its existence) for our coping skills no matter the array and variety.
Living your life your way is healthy as long as you're not harming others.
Some brains do not work without dedicated exercise time (not while doing other things, but un-interrupted), which is a common work-life balance strategy I have grown to fortify with all of my might and dis-allow any health threats from bothering this time (especially if it's not a dependent).
No shortage of studies show that this is a logical ADHD management strategy.
That said, we don't "get" it, we leave it alone, and we stay far out of the way. You don't need to know everything about anything in order to stay out of the way and respect it.
The calmness that comes to me after weightlifting is soothing.
Barbells take less concentration than free weights or bodyweight movements when I don't have the ability to focus, this way, there are no injuries.
Everyone deserves blocks of mental privacy free from interference by those other than dependents/children/household.
"Being different is a revolving door in your life where secure people enter and insecure exit.”
– Shannon L. Alder
You don't have anything if you don't have your health and then you can't even earn a living for yourself, that's dangerous.
Anyone that directly or indirectly insinuates that you should compromise your oxygen mask for any reason is not someone that you need to be worried about appeasing (why care about what doesn't care about you).
You are not responsible for undercutting your life's purpose or slowing down your sport to appease someone else's misunderstanding as if that was even your problem to begin with (I would train this hard with or without a standing desk). You don't have to carry those burdens that don't belong to you.
As long as you handle your business, manage your dependents, you have a right to do what makes you healthy and happy.
The right people will respect your time rather than try to milk more out of you than what your limited availability allows for each area of life.
Health time is truly what humanity comes down to.
Make yourself happy and healthy before you can pour into your craft because that's what longevity requires, it is a marathon.
And when you get to your business, focus only on what moves the needle so that you don't cut into guaranteed/carved out health time.
The right people/situations won't look to intrude on that *sacred* sanctuary/therapy of private time without notifications which derail ADHD from any angle or persecute you for the need whether or not they understand it because it's not even their time in the first place 🎧 (aside from dependents).
My chief concern as of late is that all my lanes stay in their respective time-slots and they thankfully are due to the non-interference I expect for my health.
Individuals who authentically value you will support and promote your well-being.
We cannot and should not be everywhere anyway. It's not logical to expect that.