Healthy Happy ADHD: Transform How You Move, Eat, and Feel, and Create Your Own Path to Well-Being

by Lisa Dee

The ultimate wellness guide for women with ADHD, full of easy-to-implement and adaptable advice to help you thrive—from a health coach known for her holistic approach to managing ADHD and transformative ADHD-friendly advice on well-being

ADHD makes it hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but an unhealthy lifestyle can make ADHD more difficult to live with. Health and fitness coach Lisa Dee experienced this firsthand when symptoms of her undiagnosed ADHD began wreaking havoc on her physical and mental health. Executive dysfunction left her in a constant state of overwhelm. She turned to unhealthy foods to cope with her exhaustion and seek stimulation, leading to unwanted weight gain.

After finally receiving an ADHD diagnosis at age thirty-one, Lisa realized she needed to consider the unique ways her ADHD brain and body operated if she wanted to feel her best. In Healthy Happy ADHD, she shares the mindset shifts, systems, and habits that transformed her life and form her foundation for healthy living as a woman with ADHD. Drawing from her lived experience, she shows you how to revamp your routines, build new habits, and bring ease to your busy brain  by learning

Ditch the restrictive rules, shame-based ideas, and neurotypical expectations about what exercise, healthy eating, and rest "should" look likeEat well with “ADHD Easy Meals,” get curious about how food affects your energy and mood, and avoid the decision paralysis that comes with meal planning and grocery shoppingPrepare for the impacts of hormonal fluctuations on your ADHD symptoms and recognize the link between ADHD, PMS, and PMDDReconnect with yourself and practice self-compassion through introspective exercises that encourage self-reflection and mindfulness
Featuring creative wellness hacks and empowering practices presented in easy-to-digest chapters with an ADHD-friendly design, Healthy Happy ADHD offers a life-changing blueprint for becoming your most vibrant self, both inside and out.

Genres: Adhd, Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Mental Health, Psychology, Health

336 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The good:
* Spoke well to the "female" experience of having neurodivergence- as a parent with an AFAB child with classic AuDHD symptoms who is dismissed because they mask/perform just fine, this will be enlightening and affirming for many.
* The tips were helpful and well researched. It wasn't just "eat well, workout" in the generic sense, but in a "here is how to keep your struggling body on track" kind of way.

The not-as-good:
* A little bit fatphobic?- I can't say the author openly linked weight to health and happiness, but the hyper-focus on how training/shaping/maintaining her body really helped felt like there were some worrisome undertones there.
* A bit out of touch-while all these recommendations were solid, this feel very "conventionally attractive white woman discovers self-care" and didn't necessarily get into options for those who don't have access to grocery stores, therapists, gyms, free time etc. "Just wander the world and find yourself" isn't really advice that is useful to most of us.

Overall, this is a good introduction to the basics that can help people with ADHD, especially those who are femme-presenting. However, the implementation described in this book might not be super accessible.

[Abby Monnens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This worked for me, as a woman recently diagnosed. The writing style was friendly - some other adhd books I’ve tried to get into were too formal and I didn’t maintain interest. The attitude in the book is to take what resonates with you and leave the rest, which I like!

[ChillCassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how simple and straight forward this was to read. The sections about movement, nutrition, and hormone cycles were very helpful. This is a great book to have in your toolbox!

[Bexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, written by a woman with ADHD, offers a comprehensive guide to health, fitness, and well-being tailored specifically for women with ADHD. It focuses on life hacks designed to meet the unique needs of those with ADHD, particularly the need for stimulation. The aim is to minimize overwhelming feelings and persistent stress, helping readers quiet the external noise and reconnect with their minds and bodies.

While the book touches briefly on scientific and medical concepts to explain the impact of ADHD on the brain and body, its main focus lies in providing practical strategies. These strategies are geared toward reducing mental and emotional overload by incorporating small, manageable changes into daily life. For instance, in the discussion on healthier eating, the book takes a positive approach by emphasizing foods to incorporate into meals rather than imposing restrictive guidelines.

I found the book to be interesting and informative, though it required some time to fully absorb everything. This is definitely a resource worth keeping on hand to refer back to in the future.

Thank you go NetGalley and Rodale Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Tara Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the BEST books on ADHD that I've read since I was diagnosed a year ago (at 40!), and I've probably read at least 50 so far. This book is smart, funny, and filled with tips and tricks that go outside the typical (and usually unhelpful - for me at least!) box. I genuinely enjoyed reading this! Really hoping she writes more books in the future about this, or creates some kind of cool workbook or planner next! Definitely check it out!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

really appreciated this book + all the research the author did to make it so comprehensive + helpful! Definitely a book I would revisit from time to time to refresh my memory/understanding + to try out different strategies

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to use tips- hardest part is actually reading it 😅

[BlueFalkon95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Lisa Dee wrote about her experiences with ADHD as written in her book Healthy Happy ADHD. Author Lisa Dee writes on how she found that she might be experiencing ADHD symptoms. The book is written basically for women on what ADHD is and the symptoms along with ways of how to deal and cope with the disorder in their daily lives. Day to day life at home, work and out in the community. If you find yourself struggling and feeling that you might have ADHD please see advice.

#HealthyHappyADHD #NetGalley

[Madeleine Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this shockingly. Super relatable, easy and practical and made me feel really seen in a lot of ways. Ignore the secular/mel Robbins-esque rah rah in this book about being true to yourself but the underlying principles were really good. Just helpful in a huge season of transition.

[Ainsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great information and it's somewhat motivating but I felt like I wasn't absorbing anything new a bit over halfway in. Will likely find a physical copy to skim through the rest at some point.

[Gwynna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone struggling with ADHD. Practical. Insightful. A different perspective.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. So many aha moments while reading it. Written beautifully and loved her story and the very useful advice. Recommend it if you think you have ADHD, have adhd or are a partner to someone with ADHD.

[Cw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely agree with the reviews that this is a NICHE book- but if you fit the niche it can be really helpful. As a woman with ADHD I appreciated this book and found it helpful, it is a good baseline guidebook that I wish I could have read when I was first diagnosed. It really focuses on how to control the things in your environment/ input/ output of your body to help you work with your adhd to reach optimal conditions for your adhd life. Discussing how things like hormones, food, sleep, and exercise can affect your symptoms. I listened to this in audiobook but wished I had a hard copy to take it in smaller chunks and come back and revisit different chapters that I wanted to give more attention to- like parts about changing how you view yourself. I think this will be a mixed bag for a lot of people but if you are a woman with ADHD I recommend the read- take what you like and leave what you don’t.

[Danisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!! this books has helped me in multiple ways!! it helped me realize I'm worthy of a good life too. that I'm not stupid, or lazy, or a bad person. we operate differently and that is far from a crime. I hope that if you're curious about this book and wondering whether it could aid you as a woman with ADHD - I'm here to tell you you've come to the right place! pick it up, buy that book and feel yourself get comfortable in your own skin ☀️

[Ashlyn Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly easy read. It was really nice to actually hear ADHD talked about from women's perspective. Most ADHD info I've read is either specific to men, or gender-neutral, meaning still men centered by not talking about hormone impacts. 

There were some good studies and science to it, though there was also an underarching woo-woo vibe with kind of a name it and claim it mentality. At the same time, as somebody who also currently is wanting to avoid medication, it was somewhat helpful.

[R. Vachtchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so genuine and real. It helps us understand that we are not the only ones who struggle. Feeling seen and being able to relate is so important in this walk with ADHD , especially for those of us diagnosed later in life, when we realize how much we suffered without knowing why and spent years comparing ourselves to neurotypical standards.
Thank you Lisa.

[Sara Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes and made me feel better about myself! great tips and tricks for regulating my autonomic dysregulation. Excellent advise based on educated facts. I recommend this book to anyone that wants help not feeling guilty about your body with ahdh!

[Bec Deuchar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the writing was a bit cringe and woo-woo, but overall it was deeply insightful and backed up by lots of science. I got it as a library loan and I'm considering buying my own copy to read again.

[Kelsey Howes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read especially for the inattentive type.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent self care tips to navigate the world, and not just for individuals with ADHD.

[Shebbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some good info!

[Stephanie Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really validating for me! I loved the specific and accessible recommendations, with science-backed reasoning.

[Sabit · Rating 5 out of 5]

looovvveeeedddd itttttttttttt!!!!

[Alexis Bilbrey, · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I took what I needed and I left the rest. I will be reading this again. It's one of those books that will give a fresh look on things.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not look into this book enough before picking it up and so I didn't clock that it was written by a fitness influencer, there were some interesting bits but it got very repetitive around diet and exercise very quickly. Also the privileged narrative of 'just pop to the butchers on your morning dog walk with your £5 coffee so that you don't have to suffer the supermarket' immediately alienated me 😂

[E Gonzalez]

She lost me when she villainized certain medications. Always be careful of gurus who are not medical professionals who do this.

[Murphy Langbop · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't think I liked this book. ADHD isn't a recent development in my life, and I've been on medication for years. Even though this book is meant more for a gal in her early 20s, with a new diagnosis, and not necessarily on medication, there's good insight here for any neurodivergent or otherwise overwhelmed and stressed out adult woman.

I wish there had been something like this for me to read about 10 years ago. And I hope there's a similar book for men going through ADHD diagnosis as well.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. The science was very basic but mostly accurate and explained well for a lay-audience. Analogies were useful, too.

[Abi Ainley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* I would recommend it. It contains a lot of tips and tricks that I already use myself but haven't seen spoken about often. I do think it needs a few disclaimers though.

Firstly, take all the science in this book with a pinch of salt. She's a fitness coach with an interest in adhd and nutrition, not a scientist. Read it for the practical suggestions but don't take all her scientific statements as 100% fact. She said 3/4 a cup of chickpeas contains 30g of protein (no idea where she got that from), so yeah, take the lifestyle advice, leave the science.

She does say this, but to emphasise, this book is a culmination of her experience (over only the last couple of years it sounds like) so learn from what works for her but don't expect everything she says to be the right answer for you. To be fair, that's the same for most books like this. Test things out, see how they make you feel, put 'em in the not for now pile if they don't do it for you.

Other than thinking she needs to add a disclaimer section (I think that for a lot of experience-based self help books) my only other criticism is that it didn't focus enough on ADHD-specific tips. There were some very good fitness and food tips, but I think a lot of her mental attitude tips, although good, were bog standard motivational self-help ideas. Some of the ideas she mentioned can be tough to wrap your head around when you're neurodivergent and I was disappointed that she didn't address that and discuss how we can better approach the whole updating your mental software situation.

That's a lot of negativity but I do think there was absolutely tons of really good practical advice in here, some of which I know from my own experience but haven't seen spoken about enough in ND circles. So I'd say this book is pretty valuable just for that.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

hank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review!

So I was diagnosed with ADHD right before college and I am constantly trying to learn more about it - that means I consume a lot about ADHD. I wanted to love Healthy Happy ADHD but it sadly missed the mark for me (but I may be overly critical of the books I have read). I come from a fairly healthy and active family so a lot of these suggestions are things that I have lived with my whole life - I feel the author gave a ton of ideas but didn't expand on them. For example, the things that she mentioned were eating more protein and getting more movement and exercise in - I feel like she didn't give enough examples of exercises that you could do (she talked about running but nothing else.) She also didn't give any examples of good recipes (and on top of that didn't mention anything about food sensitivities or texture issues with ADHD). At times this felt like a neurodivergent person wrote it and other times it felt like a neurotypical person wrote it. I will say one thing I loved about this book was the formatting - the bolded phrases of important info were beneficial, but weren't enough for me to recommend this book. I also really loved the setback questions (TBH they earned a star themselves bc I use it all the time now) If you want a book about ADHD I would recommend How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe, that was the best book on ADHD that I have found.