Exercise and the ADHD Brain: Why Movement is Your Secret Ally

We spoke to Sonia Ponzo – ADHDer, psychologist and creator of the Outset Wellness App. She tells us why exercise is a powerful ally for those of us living with ADHD. She sheds a light on why ADHD brains can sometimes struggle to maintain a regular exercise routine, and how technology (like the Outset app) can be a handy tool to overcome the barriers.   

Hi Sonia! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in psychology? What led you to focus on behaviour change and ADHD? 

Hi! I’m a psychologist, behaviour change scientist and ADHDer with over a decade of experience in research and digital health. I obtained my PhD in psychology in 2019 and I’m now a published author with over 30 scientific papers to my name.  

My focus on studying behaviour change and ADHD is deeply personal. A few years ago, I was becoming badly burnt out while working in a demanding leadership role. At the time, movement was the only thing that kept me grounded, but the standard way of doing things (rigid routines and all-or-nothing goals) just wasn’t working. It felt like I was constantly fighting my own brain just to get started. Eventually I realised that most fitness and wellness systems are designed for neurotypical brains and rely on the exact things that ADHD makes difficult, like executive function and consistent motivation.  

I wanted to take what I knew about the science of behaviour change and use it to build something supportive by removing the friction and the pressure to perform. That’s how Outset Wellness began. Outset is an app designed to help you manage an exercise routine and I designed it with the everyday challenges I was facing in mind. 

You say that movement can be a “secret ally” for ADHD brains. Why do you think exercise is such a powerful tool? 

I call it a secret ally because it goes way beyond just physical fitness. For many of us with ADHD, there is often a real disconnect between what we intend to do and what we manage to do. This happens because the feedback loop between our senses and our actions can feel a bit broken. 

Movement is such a powerful tool because it works from the bottom up. Instead of relying on our executive function to motivate ourselves into making positive decisions, exercise uses the body to send signals back to the brain which in turn boosts mood and motivation. This helps us develop better body awareness, which is essentially our ability to feel and understand what is happening in our minds and bodies. 

From a scientific perspective, exercise helps manage the core things that those of us with ADHD struggle with every day, by supporting our brain chemistry. It is particularly effective at: 

• Reducing restlessness and impulsivity 

• Supporting focus and ability to commit to tasks 

• Improving attention and working memory 

• Enhancing mood and emotional regulation 

Many of us recognise that exercise is good for us, but we still struggle making it part of our routine. Why does regular exercise tend to be particularly challenging for those of us living with ADHD? 

In the ADHD brain, the issue is often in making the transition between wanting to exercise and actually getting started. This is where most of us get stuck: the process of starting a task can feel physically impossible when the steps are vague or too far removed from an immediate reward. 

Decision fatigue is a massive factor here. Most fitness routines require you to decide what to do, when to do it, and what to wear before you even begin. For a neurotypical brain, that might feel like one sequence. For us, every single choice is a point of friction that drains our limited battery. By the time you have decided which workout to follow, your brain is already exhausted from the mental load. When there are too many choices, the result is often total paralysis. 

We also have a complicated relationship with repetition and habit formation. Traditional advice says that habits are built through doing the exact same thing every day, but ADHD brains thrive on novelty. When a routine becomes too rigid or predictable, it starts to feel unbearable, even if it is something we enjoy. That is why standard habit-building often fails us; it tries to force us into a consistency that feels like a cage rather than a support system. 

Finally, our reward systems are wired for the now. Most health models assume people act based on delayed rewards, like better health in six months’ time. But for someone with ADHD, the reward needs to be much more immediate to feel motivating. Anything that doesn’t feel rewarding straight away is incredibly difficult to sustain. 

What are some realistic ways people can start incorporating more movement into their day without getting too overwhelmed?

The most important thing is to lower the bar until it is almost impossible to fail. For us, the hardest part is usually getting started because we are often waiting for the right moment that never arrives. One of the best ways to bypass this is through exercise snacking. Instead of looking for a full hour to train, look for five or ten minutes. These small bursts of movement are much easier for an ADHD brain to process because they don’t feel like a huge, intimidating commitment – and chances are, once you have done your 5 minutes, you’ll want to keep going. 

We also need to use gentle cues to prime our brains for action. This is about setting up your environment so that movement feels like the path of least resistance. It could be leaving your trainers by the door or having a specific playlist that signals to your brain that it is time to get moving. These aren’t rigid rules but rather signals that help you find the right window of opportunity without having to use up all your mental energy. 

Establishing a routine is about finding a way to eliminate decision overload. For people with ADHD, the buildup of micro decisions (like what to wear, which workout to do, or how long to go for) is often more exhausting than the exercise itself. This is exactly why we built Outset Wellness the way we did. It handles all the logistics and planning based on your actual schedule, so that showing up becomes the easiest option. When you remove the need to constantly make choices, you free up your brain to enjoy the movement. 

How can technology support this process? How do apps like Outset Wellness help people go from thinking about moving more to actually doing it? 

For an ADHD brain, most fitness apps add to the problem by giving us more data to track and more decisions to make. We designed Outset Wellness to do the opposite: it is built to take the mental load off your shoulders. Outset Wellness syncs with your calendar and checks the weather to plan activities for you. If it is raining or if your schedule suddenly changes, the app adapts – and over time, it learns what works best for you. This removes the decision fatigue that usually leads to paralysis. You don’t have to spend twenty minutes figuring out what is possible; you just see the nudge and know that the thinking has already been done for you. 

We also use gamification to provide the immediate feedback our brains crave. Instead of a graph or a streak that feels like a threat, you have a digital plant that grows every time you move. It is a simple, visual representation of your progress that feels rewarding rather than performative. It turns the long-term goal of health into a small win you can see right away. 

We use the power of community and body doubling to provide support without the pressure. In the app, you can connect with your friends and see when they are moving, which gives you a sense of not being at it alone. It is accountability that feels like a gentle pull rather than a push. 

And finally, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone with ADHD who’s trying to build a healthier relationship with movement? 

Stop waiting for the feeling of being motivated. One of the biggest myths we are sold is that we need to feel like doing something before we can start. For an ADHD brain, motivation is usually a byproduct of action, not a prerequisite for it. If you wait for the right moment or the right feeling, it might never come. 

We also need to let go of the idea that consistency must be a perfect, unbroken line. We often fall into a shame spiral where we think that if we miss a day or a week, we have failed and the whole routine is ruined. But habits are really built in the moment you decide to come back after a break. Missing a day just means you are human. 

Instead of trying to use more willpower, focus on removing friction. If you are struggling to get started, it usually is because the system you are using wasn’t designed for your brain. Be kind to yourself and look for ways to make the start feel safe and easy. When you stop seeing movement as a chore or a test of character and start seeing it as a way to tune into your body and regulate your emotions, everything starts to change. 

Our Online Talk with Sonia will be taking place on 20th May, from 7pm – 8pm. We have a number of free tickets available. Book your space here.