The Unhealthy Workout ADHD

On Monday it’s Pilates. By Thursday it’s spin. Next week, someone’s discovered dance cardio, and by the end of the month they’re deep into strength training reels saved but never attempted. Welcome to India’s newest fitness phenomenon — what trainers are half-jokingly calling Workout ADHD (Attention-Deficit/ Hyper-activity Disorder). It’s not laziness. It’s not lack of discipline. It’s overstimulation.

Across urban India, young adults are hopping between workouts faster than their muscles can recover. Fitness studios report short trial cycles, trainers see clients disappear after four weeks, and Instagram feeds are flooded with “new routine unlocked” energy. The question is no longer whether people want to work out — it’s why they can’t seem to stay with one thing long enough for it to work.

Fitness used to be linear. You picked a gym, followed a routine, and stayed long enough to see change. Today, exercise lives inside the same ecosystem as reels, dopamine hits, and infinite choice.

“Most people are no longer bored because they don’t enjoy exercise — they’re bored because their nervous systems are overstimulated,” says Dr Rhea Mehta, sports psychologist based in Mumbai. “When your brain is used to novelty every 15 seconds, repeating the same workout three times a week feels unbearable.”

Spin classes offer club lighting and playlists. Pilates promises sculpting without sweat. Dance workouts sell joy. Strength training promises transformation. Every modality markets itself as the answer — until the next one appears. Fitness, like content, has become swipeable.

Social media hasn’t just changed how we discover workouts — it’s changed why we do them. “Young clients often come in saying, ‘I saw this workout online and it looks fun,’” says Kunal Shah, strength and conditioning coach. “Fun is great. But the body doesn’t adapt on vibes alone.”

Platforms reward novelty, not consistency. The algorithm doesn’t show you the same squat progression for six months. It shows you something shinier. Something louder. Something with better lighting. The result? People confuse entertainment with effectiveness — and abandon routines the moment progress slows.

Calling it “Workout ADHD” isn’t a clinical diagnosis — but the pattern is real. Urban Indian lifestyles are high-stress, screen-heavy, sleep-deprived, and productivity-obsessed. Exercise, once a stress release, is now another performance metric. “Many people approach workouts the same way they approach work,” says Dr Mehta. “They want immediate output. When results aren’t fast or visible, attention drops.”

Variety isn’t the villain. Chaos is. “There’s a difference between structured variation and random switching,” explains Ayesha Khan, Pilates instructor and movement educator. “The body thrives on progressive overload — whether that’s strength, flexibility, or endurance.”

Rotating workouts every 8–12 weeks can improve motivation and reduce injury. Switching every 10 days? Not so much.

Without enough repetition, muscles don’t adapt, stamina doesn’t build, and form never improves. People feel “busy” but not stronger — leading to frustration and, eventually, quitting altogether.

Modern workouts are designed to feel good immediately. Loud music, high energy instructors, aesthetic studios — all dopamine-friendly. But dopamine-driven motivation is fragile. “When people rely only on excitement to show up, they collapse the moment the novelty fades,” says Shah. “That’s when discipline matters — and discipline isn’t sexy online.”

This explains why many people love starting workouts but hate maintaining them in the long run.

Another reason people keep switching? They haven’t figured out why they’re working out. Is it weight loss? Strength? Mental health? Community? Mobility?

“Many young adults chase workouts like personalities,” says Khan. “They want to be a Pilates girl, or a spin guy, or a gym person — instead of choosing what their body actually needs.” When identity leads and physiology follows, inconsistency is inevitable.

Interestingly, the antidote to workout hopping may be… boredom.

Walking clubs, zone-2 cardio, slow strength, and mobility training are quietly gaining popularity among those burned out by high-intensity everything.

“These forms don’t overstimulate the nervous system,” says Dr Mehta. “They create regulation, not adrenaline.”

In a culture addicted to speed, slow movement is becoming radical. One of the biggest mindset shifts needed? Understanding that results aren’t linear — or always visible. “You might not look different after four weeks,” Shah says. “But your joints might hurt less. Your sleep might improve. Your energy might stabilise.”

When progress is measured only in aesthetics, patience dies fast. Fitness doesn’t come from chasing the next exciting thing. It comes from doing the unglamorous thing — consistently — until your body quietly changes its mind about what it’s capable of.

And no algorithm can rush that.

The future of fitness isn’t about choosing one perfect workout. It’s about choosing fewer — and committing longer. Experts suggest a hybrid but anchored approach:

• One primary modality (strength, Pilates, yoga, or sport) followed consistently for at least 12 weeks

• One secondary movement for variety (dance, cycling, swimming)

• One low-stimulation recovery practice (walking, stretching, breathwork