If you’ve ever done any kind of recreational or competitive running you’ve heard of the term “Runner’s High.” This “high” is thought to be a mystical experience where pain ceases to exist and you have developed a supernatural second wind to continue on at normal or an even more intense pace.
The good news is that it really DOES exist and you don’t have to RUN to experience it! Any exercise at a high enough intensity for a unset amount of time can trigger this experience thanks to a natural hormone in the body known as an endorphin.
The science behind endorphins is simple. They are produced by both the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in the brain during high emotional or physical exertion. Once the endorphins are released they bind to neuro-receptors within the body that act like a natural morphine.
Pain tolerance increases, stress hormones decrease, and spatial awareness is heightened when under the influence of endorphins. The physiological timing of endorphin release varies from person to person. Some people can trigger it in a simple 10 minute jog while others require a significantly higher level of intensity to active release.
Endorphins are the reason we can be 100 burpees deep into a workout and suddenly find the energy to survive 100 more. They are the reason a boxer can be on the verge of losing and ignore the pain of all the punches he’s endured to win a fight. They are why a man could be in an accident and lose his arm yet find the energy to pick it up and drive to the hospital to get it reattached. (True Story) It’s why we can get so mad or so upset that everything blurs together into a strange euphoria.
Whatever the reason our bodies trigger endorphins, we may not even know that they’ve truly kicked in until after the moment has passed and you realize what you’ve done. So remember, as you’re working hard and pushing yourself, if you get to a point where you feel like you can’t go on from exhaustion chances are you’re about to experience an endorphin pump!
ENJOY!
PLAY HARD, LIVE HARD, REST EASY!
Daniel Woods
Fitness Coach
Raising The Barr Fitness
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