I have three things to admit:
1. The actual question I received was, “What are natural ways to medicate ADHD?”
2.
I have been watching a ton of Casey Neistat videos lately. He has an
amazing vlog, I am doing my own vlog, and I feel you need to learn from
the people who are already doing what you want to do. Hopefully those
people are doing it well. Casey Neistat’s vlog is amazing.
3.
He is always saying that there is no excuse to not get a run in. I
thought this was a perfect way to show how certain exercise can be the
perfect natural remedy for ADHD.
To
be honest, I don’t even know if Casey knows this information. It feels
good, he loves it, and he does it. That may be all there is to it.
That’s
the way it was for me until I started auditing myself, my life,
everything. Not because I wanted to, I had to. It was either audit or
oblivion. I chose audit.
My Running Background
I
started running when I was 16. It wasn’t for health reasons, it was for
looks. Just being honest. I saw a video of my band playing a show and I
didn’t like the way I looked in it. I wanted to be thinner, I thought
running was the best way to do it. So I started.
I
enjoyed it right away. I thought it was the fresh air, getting out,
feeling good about doing things to look better. You know? General stuff.
Little did I know there was a lot more going on.
Once
I was in college I really hit it hard. The hills in and around UCSD are
incredible. Ocean views, great weather, beaches, it’s perfect. It was
hard not to love it. While in college and I was doing better in school
than I ever had. I thought it was maturity. I was finally bearing down,
taking it seriously. By this time I had decided the reason I loved
running so much was because it allowed a sense of accomplishment first
thing in the morning. Get the blood flowing and the momentum started to
do big things that day. Beginning your day with 8 miles along the cliffs
of La Jolla? Can’t think of anything better.
Accomplishment to start the day? Makes sense, right?
After
college, the professional life took over (because I let it). I ran
less. Loved it the same, but didn’t give it the time it deserved.
Every time I looked at the hills I would miss them. I thought about the trails all the time, but didn’t do anything about it.
I
always assumed that things in life start getting crazy once you are out
in the “real world.” I associated it with how the real world was, not
that I was sabotaging my ability to succeed. I was passing the torch,
but the fault was with me.
It
wasn’t until after my life blew up that I learned I had ADHD. It wasn’t
that I didn’t know I had it, it was that I didn’t really know what it
was. I thought it was just being a hyper kid that couldn’t pay
attention, but it is WAY more than that.
So I studied.
And studied.
And learned.
And learned some more.
What I found out was the real reason I loved running was because it actually helped my brain function better.
How?
Before we get in to that…….
A Brief Explanation of Exactly What ADHD Is
To make it simple: Not all the parts of your brain connect.
Too simple?
There is a deficit of neurotransmitters in the basal ganglia.
Neurotransmitters not doing their job?
Then information does not get transmitted. It is like separating the frontal lobe of your brain from the rest of your head.
Is the frontal lobe important?
Well, only if you like to control: emotional expression, problem solving, memory, language, judgement, and sexual behavior. If you don’t, then it’s not really a big deal.
It would be nice to be able to connect all the parts of the brain, wouldn’t it?
I bet you would love to be able to control your emotional expression, wouldn’t you?
Does your wife or husband have issues with judgement calls?
Your kid having trouble with emotional expression? Problem solving? Sexual behavior?
I bet you would like to fix that.
You want to connect all the parts of the brain? You want those problems to go away?
You can take a pill.
Or you can be like me and Casey Neistat.
You can run
How Does Running Help ADHD?
It boosts levels of norepinephrine and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters.
Who cares?
Well, the people who take Ritalin and Adderall do. Because that’s exactly what those pills do.
Did you read that correctly?
Running (basically) = Ritalin and Adderall.
Running boosts norepinephrine and dopamine which are neurotransmitters. What do people with ADHD lack? Yup. Neurotransmitters.
Have you said, “holy shit yet?”
So
that feeling I was getting when I was in college, the need for Casey
Nesitat to go out for a run no matter what? It isn’t about the running,
it’s about our brains. And it’s about us being better after the run than
before. It’s about us giving ourselves a chance to reach our
potentials. To be the best versions of ourselves. All with some time, a
path, and some shoes.
We
are whole after a run. Our neurotransmitters are firing and connecting
and doing everything they should be doing in the first place but don’t.
We are more creative, make better decisions, have better judgement,
better problem solving, our emotions are more in check, better memory,
better language use, everything! It is like plugging in our personality!
We aren’t us until we flip the switch. Running means we not only do
what is good for our body and overall health, we are helping our brain!
What’s not to love?
But…..
What if I don’t like running?
How about cycling? Swimming?
Pretty
much any sustained exercise will have a similar effect. You are focused
on the workout, your body is releasing endorphins, and boom, Ritalin
and Adderall, right there.
Look Around
I
live in Silicon Valley, so I may have better access than a lot of you,
but you can still Google it. Duh. Look at the CEOs. Look at the big
wigs. Look at the people who are killing it in whatever field you are
interested in. Most of them are in relatively good shape, and most are
doing things that seem superhuman. At least more super than whatever it
is that you are doing. Do you think that is a coincidence? Hell no. It’s
ADHD. I look at the people I follow: Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ryan
Holiday, Tony Robbins, Casey Neistat, etc. There is no way in hell
these guys don’t have ADHD. No way. But what have they done differently?
They corralled it. They have harnessed it. How? They are all in shape.
Why? Because it helps their brain whether they are doing it for that
reason or not. I know what you are going to say, Gary Vee just started
working out. Well, the dude is a machine, his work days are like
marathons. So, suck on that.
Marathoners, cyclists, tri-athletes. A majority of them have ADHD.
If you have ADHD or know someone who does, are you seeing the power yet?
It’s right there!
To unleash it you need to move. Just move.
ADHD is f’ing awesome, and it’s just a run away. A swim away. A ride away.
Casey Neistat knows it.
It’s time you knew it too.
Joey
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