Hi All,
I’m Sam and I have ADHD. I was diagnosed eight years ago but I’ve always felt a stigma and misunderstanding towards this disorder, whether it be people not believing it even exists or the classic “oh we’re all a little bit ADHD.” Because of this, up until now I’ve tried to push it under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist myself. However, I would be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me on a daily basis. As a result I have been battling with persistent clinical depression, beginning in my very early teenage years.
This writing piece is too many characters for an Instagram caption so I have just written the opening paragraph. The rest of what I have to say is in the slideshow.
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Some notes I took a few weeks ago from a video presentation by Dr. Russell Barkley.
He is a considered a leading global authority on ADHD, with over 45 years of experience as a clinical scientist, educator and practitioner.
I mentioned the other day that I learnt how much ADHD benefits from aerobic exercise. I’ve always done a lot of running, not to be a runner, but because I was able to recognise this boost intrinsically. Running is incredibly convenient, throw on a pair of shoes and you’re ready to go. The trade off, as a larger person, is that volume for me tends to be directly correlated with injury.
ADHD is largely related to low dopamine activity and weaker function in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for focus, planning and impulse control. We’ve all heard about exercise endorphins before but what you’re actually doing is increasing blood flow, oxygen delivery and therefore neural activity in the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex. This improves your dopamine receptor sensitivity, increasing focus in the short term for a few hours but also creating structural and chemical improvements in the long term if performed consistently.
Since learning this I have become much more purposeful with my exercise. It is the first thing I do when I wake up before attempting anything else. I notice the most benefit when I get to a point where the movement becomes meditative. My mind slows down and all that seems to be important in that moment is my breath. Anecdotally for me this begins to happen after 20-25 minutes of running, 35-40 minutes of cycling and 10-15 minutes of swimming.
I mentioned earlier about my issues with high running mileage and injury. I purchased my road bike back during covid and used it as a commuter. I loved it at the time but I left it in New Zealand when I moved overseas. Being home has been amazing to have the option to cycle instead of run. I’ve been on it almost every day and have been limiting my running to no more than twice per week because I don’t want any chance of injury and losing something that has this much upside.
Captions are limited to 2200 characters so there’s one slide amongst the dump again, apologies.
Now Representing fitness, health and lifestyle storyteller @samcam____
Sam is a Kiwi health and fitness content creator with a performance-driven approach to training, movement, and modern living. Blending athleticism with authenticity, he creates impactful content that promotes confidence, discipline, and long-term wellbeing.
Working at the intersection of fitness, fashion, and culture, Sam has partnered with brands like Nike and Venroy, attended global events with Rabanne, and appeared in GQ Australia. Beyond training, he showcases versatility across skiing, surfing, skating, and high-performance movement, engaging a growing audience through dynamic, real-world storytelling.
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