Neurodevelopmental disorders are conditions affecting brain development that are impaired. This results in difficulties in social skills, behaviour, and learning.
Some of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders being diagnosed today are Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) such as Dyslexia or Dysgraphia.
ADHD tends to be characterised by impaired concentration, attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
ASD symptoms include challenges in social capabilities and repetitive behaviours.
SLD is typically diagnosed when someone exhibits behavioural issues or difficulties with motor skills, organisation, and coordination. This can affect one's ability to read, write, spell, or work out basic mathematics.
Symptoms of such conditions can vary massively between people.
Each condition is different to one another, but given that people with these conditions see things differently than neurotypical people, here are some common challenges when trying to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Meal planning
When starting a habit like meal planning, it's best to set a small goal first to help your brain focus on this new process.
For example, rather than setting a goal of planning all your meals for the next week, you could start by planning one meal a day for the next three days.
Once you've achieved this, you could increase to planning two meals a day for the next week and so on. In the long run, this could be more convenient and quicker for you.
Try to get the family on board with meal planning. This makes it more fun and something you can all contribute to. This way, everyone knows what to expect and can even help out with the cooking and shopping.
Bulk cooking and freezing meals or using leftovers can be a great way to keep meals quick and convenient throughout the week.
You could also try theme nights. For example, on Mondays, you always have a stir-fry, on Tuesdays a curry, on Wednesdays a pasta dish, on Thursdays a casserole, and on Fridays a fish dish.
Another approach to meal planning is to have a few meals ready for the week, but decide as you go along when to have them, depending on your mood and energy levels.
As long as you have an idea and the ingredients in, you can still keep on track with your meal plan, but with some flexibility.
Preparing meals
It could help to stock up on pre-prepared foods such as:
Chopped vegetables and frozen vegetables
Boxed foods, e.g. oats, pasta, couscous
Pouches, e.g. brown rice, lentils
Tins and jars, e.g. tinned tomatoes, passata, coconut milk, corn, fish, e.g. salmon, sardines, and tuna, any beans and pulses.
Eggs are always a good staple, also. You could make the Second Nature shakshuka, for example.
Soups and smoothies can be easily blitzed up quickly with little effort and batch-made.
Eat colour
On this note, try to add at least one colourful vegetable or fruit to your meal.
Beige foods tend to be high in refined carbohydrates, processed sugars, and trans fats, all of which can contribute to diabetes and heart disease.
Colourful foods, however, offer a range of vitamins and minerals, supporting overall health.
For example, orange, red, and yellow foods like carrots, red bell peppers, and squash, are rich in vitamin C and carotenoids, two antioxidants essential for cell growth. Green leafy vegetables are rich in iron and phytonutrients to support blood vessel structure and circulation. And purple or blue foods like beetroot and berries are high sources of anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant that supports heart health.
Some ways you can include more colourful fruits and vegetables in your meals are:
Blending fruits and vegetables into sauces, soups, or smoothies
Having vegetable or fruit sticks with a dip or peanut butter for a tasty snack
Mashing vegetables instead of having potato mash
Blitzing vegetables to make dips
Roasting vegetables to make chips or crisps
Using lettuce wraps instead of tortillas
Have a chat with your coach to establish which fruits and vegetables you like and how to incorporate them into your meals.
Food rewards
With such conditions, the brain prefers small, immediate rewards to encourage motivation and reinforce positive behaviours. It learns that eating is instantly gratifying.
To reduce using food as a reward, try to have some ideas already at hand for what else helps you to feel good.
This could be a creative outlet, self-care, or something else that produces dopamine, such as:
Listening to music
Finishing a task
Gratitude noting
Exercise
Celebrating small wins
These actions can also help maintain a positive mindset, motivating you to make healthy changes and take proactive steps. They can also create a less stressful atmosphere, keeping your mind calm.
Habit reminders
Memory can be affected by these conditions, so think about what could help trigger certain habits to stay on top of.
Using our habit tracker in the Second Nature app, for example, can help you set goals tailored to you and be prompted about them on the app's homepage.
You could also set specific times in the week to check in with your coach or respond to their messages. Discuss one thing at a time with them, which can help increase your will to engage and make your goals more achievable when you focus on them step by step.
Planners, diaries, and Post-it Notes serve as helpful reminders that you can check on daily or keep by your bedside table or coffee table, allowing you to view them every day.
Numerous apps help track water intake, such as the ones suggested here.
Placing a jug of water on your desk or kitchen table or carrying a water bottle with you can also serve as a visual cue to stay well hydrated.
Set reminders on your phone for exercise snacks, such as 2 minutes of walking around the room, stretching, jogging on the spot, or doing squats.
If you are uncomfortable or unable to step on the scales to measure your weight, remember there are other ways you can measure your progress, such as waist measurements, photos, tracking your energy levels, and other ideas here.
Social aspects
If things like group chats and exercise classes don't resonate with you, it's completely okay not to engage in them.
Remember, your Second Nature health coach is available in your 1:1 chat at any time you need them. You can also mute group chat notifications in your app settings.
On the other hand, checking in with the group can help enhance the social aspect of making healthy changes and encourage motivation, support, and accountability.
Exercising with a friend or joining a class can also make exercise more enjoyable and boost your confidence in exercise.
Sharing your health journey and habits with others can have many benefits to make your health changes less daunting and easier to implement.
There are many community groups in and out of Second Nature to guide and support you, and your health coach can help direct you to some.
The bottom line here is to do whatever feels comfortable for you and will help you progress.
Diet and mindful eating
People living with ADHD, ASD, and SLD may have poor awareness of hunger and fullness cues and, therefore, difficulty in judging portion sizes.
Mindful eating can help here. Mindfulness is the process of slowing things down and bringing attention to the present and to what we are doing right now.
Mindful eating is about using mindfulness to reach a state of full attention to your experiences, cravings and physical cues when eating, allowing you to replace automatic thoughts and reactions with more conscious, healthier responses.
Here are some techniques you might want to try:
Eat slowly
Chew thoroughly
Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV and putting down your phone
Use all of your senses (e.g. sight, smell, sound, feel, taste)
Focus on how the food makes you feel
Stop eating when you're satisfied or have reached a level 6 on the hunger scale
Here are some more tips on eating with ADHD, ASD, and SLD:
Low sugar intake has been shown to help improve symptoms of ADHD and Autism, such as hyperactivity, followed by a ‘sugar-crash’ which can cause irritability, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating
Low caffeine intake can help prevent brain overstimulation and dysregulation
Regular meals that are timed can keep energy levels up and reduce boredom eating or unnecessary snacking
Omega-3 fatty acids from foods such as oily fish, nuts, and seeds can help neuron signalling in the brain
Zinc, iron, and vitamin D can help with focus and concentration, so having a range of colourful vegetables in your diet can help ensure you are eating enough of these nutrients.
Following the balanced plate model means you don't need to focus on numbers such as weighing foods or counting calories:
These dietary habits can also help us to have leverage over our hormones, as ADHD and ASD symptoms can be exacerbated with hormonal shifts, such as during menopause and perimenopause.
Dietary concerns
Impulsive behaviours can transpire into impulsive eating, so if you feel you are struggling with binge eating, purging, or continuous thoughts of food or weight, do reach out to your GP or support from the BEAT Eating Disorders charity.
If you feel restricted with your food or are avoiding certain foods completely, please also reach out to your GP and health coach who can discuss this with you further.
Information overload
Take your time to absorb all the information.
The Second Nature articles unlock day by day to help manage the amount of information available to you, and you might find it helpful to set a short amount of time aside each day to read an article, or part of an article, each day.
Also, focus on what you need to do at each step of the way. Could this be an opportunity to prioritise your mental health by taking some relaxation time? Or a nice chance to re-read some articles? Perhaps going for a gentle walk or doing a light home workout can help you maintain your exercise routine?
Don't feel you have to do everything at once; instead, try to maintain habits in areas that you feel more comfortable with each day.
At times, setting new goals can be overwhelming, so there's nothing wrong with going at your own pace.
Sometimes, maintaining habits is better progress than trying to do too many things at once.
Exercise
Exercise can help manage symptoms such as coordination, concentration, and hyperactivity.
Aerobic activities such as swimming, cycling, walking, and running engage both the brain and body to help improve focus and boost dopamine levels.
Other exercises that require a skill to learn, such as martial arts, rock climbing, and gymnastics, can also be beneficial for brain training and development.
Yoga or pilates is another option which incorporates calmness and deep breathing for a more settled mind and body.
Try incorporating a range of these exercises into your schedule to determine which ones you enjoy most and which ones help manage your symptoms best.
Routine
We've discussed the importance of meal planning and how to establish this habit effectively.
Organising other habits can also feel less stressful and overwhelming. You can do this by setting a timetable with scheduled breaks for a stretch, a walk, or simply some me-time.
Establishing a consistent sleep routine can also help prevent restlessness and improve sleep quality. This may include avoiding screens before bed, which can prevent overstimulation before rest.
For example, this Second Nature habit timetable could be a foundation to follow:
It might be a good idea to reflect on your individual goals for the programme and then prioritise the tasks or activities that will help you achieve those goals for that day. So don't feel like you have to do everything every day or aim to be 'perfect'.
One helpful activity is to write down your current routine, circling the parts that benefit your health and well-being and crossing off the parts that don't.
Then, incorporate the circled actions more into your week in a scheduled way, as shown above.
Direction vs self-exploration
If you have ADHD, ASD, or LSD, reach out to your health coach to see how they can support you with your tasks and goals. You may need something different from what we typically recommend.
A familiar feeling amongst those with ADHD, ASD, or SLD is failure due to what could be perceived as poor self-control.
Understanding your actions and the values at their core is crucial to maintaining high self-esteem. Check in with your coach regularly to focus on your 'whys' for making changes and maintain your motivation.
This can also help your coach to better understand your eating patterns and lifestyle habits, to provide the support best for you .
There is no 'right' way to approach things. With the above tips and your health coach at hand, we can make your habits second nature to you.
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