Oh yes, I'm ADD. And I have done/still do all that sort of stuff. The stuff I successfully do regularly is stuff I do in a rather obsessive manner. I'm KEENLY interested in, until I make myself nuts. Have suffered from analysis paralysis, quit everything, restarted, dropped it, etc.
I have learned to accept that's how my brain works. It's how I'm wired. It takes me a lot of time to make changes, but I've learned how to rewire myself to take on new behaviors and practices. But it usually involves me hitting my head against the wall a few times. (Oh, silly ADD me!) And lots of patience and self-compassion.
Set up your plan. Weed out unrealistic expectations of the outcome and your ability to stick with the plan. Only plan for what you know you can achieve at first, then step up your game as you experience more success.
At first, for me, to get me to exercise, the biggest obstacle was getting my socks and shoes on. Had to find the socks that were the easiest to put on because I could barely reach past my stomach to get them on, then shoes that were easy to put on. And fitness clothes that I felt comfortable in. And then the one activity that made me feel really good. For me, that was weight training. I found good books on weight training and learned what I could about it, got some help from a good trainer, and took it a little at a time. I now workout five days a week, one to two hours a day. I get sore from my workouts, which at first was such a deterrent. But then I realized that the soreness from working out was proof of my work, and felt really different from common injuries. I learned to regularly eat food that would help me recover faster (salmon and sardines, eggs, bone marrow, colorful vegetables).
With regards to diet, I first started cutting out foods that didn't matter to me. I loved fast food, and I used to go at least twice a day. I cut it down to once a day, then cut back on the size of my order, then decided I didn't really care about the soda, and then the fries, and then I didn't really care about the buns and started ordering everything protein-style. At the same time, I increased my consumption of vegetables to two servings per meal. And I limited fruit to one serving a day, and no juice. I then started to look at the food I really loved and what I really liked about it and what I could do without.
About then I discovered that I had type 2 diabetes and a soy insensitivity. Biggest favor my health ever did for me! I started cutting out everything that had soy in it, which mean nearly all processed food. And the diabetes got me to cut out sugar and starchy carbs.
By then I was feeling so dang good! And no French fry or pizza was ever going to make me feel that good. The more I made a point of noticing how good I was feeling, when I was feeling joyful and energized, the more I rewired my brain to like doing that stuff. The more I noticed how crappy I felt when I ate anything with soy in it, or how quickly I regained when I over-indulged in starchy carbs, the more I rewired my brain to avoid those behaviors. Having fun doing things that helped me along my path was the most motivating!
And for me, I noticed that when I made good food choices and stayed consistent with the exercise, AND surrounded myself with people who supported and encouraged my efforts, the more I was prone to making the right choices. I still can't achieve anything because I simply will myself to do it. But if I want it bad enough, I have learned to create the environment that supports what I want to achieve.
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