In one minute

Exercise is not a cure for ADHD, and anyone who tells you it can replace treatment is overselling it. But it is one of the best-evidenced things you can add. In the hours after exercise, attention, mood and impulse control measurably improve; over months, people who move regularly report better sleep, less restlessness and a calmer baseline.

The mechanism is not mysterious. Physical activity increases the same brain chemicals — dopamine and noradrenaline — that ADHD medication works on, and it burns off the physical restlessness that otherwise leaks out as fidgeting, snapping or scrolling.

The problem is never knowing that exercise is good for you. The problem is doing it on a Tuesday in November. This guide is mostly about that.